U.S. President Donald Trump called on Americans to observe Shabbat from sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16 in a proclamation signed yesterday. Israel365News reports that Trump is the first American president to make such a declaration. In his statement, he referenced George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Touro Synagogue and highlighted how Jewish Americans help fulfill the founding promise of the nation as it marks its 250th year.
“In special honor of 250 glorious years of American independence and on the weekend of Rededicate 250 — a national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving — Jewish Americans are encouraged to observe a national Sabbath,” Trump wrote. “From sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds may come together in gratitude for our great Nation. This day will recognize the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.”
Trump also paid tribute to Haym Salomon, the Revolutionary War–era financier who rallied support for independence and, as the proclamation put it, “gave everything to the success of the American Revolution.” The proclamation declares: “Like so many Jewish Americans who follow in his footsteps, Salomon’s legacy stands as a testament to the unshakable belief in the American promise.”
In a direct rebuke of the rising tide of anti-Semitism on college campuses and beyond, Trump wrote: “Under my leadership, we are aggressively fighting the violence against Jewish Americans that increased under my predecessor, prosecuting hateful criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and working to end the scourge of anti-Semitism throughout our institutions.”
Jewish communities and organizations across the United States have praised the Shabbat 250 initiative. Groups such as Chabad and the Israel Heritage Foundation issued letters of thanks to President Trump.
“How beautiful, how moving, how deeply healing it is to witness the opposite today—to see you, the President of the United States, not only defend religious freedom but also encourage the observance of Shabbos. To declare before the nation that faith matters, that Shabbos matters, that the values we live by are what make America great,” said Rabbi David Katz of the Israel Heritage Foundation.
The Fellowship also extends its blessings to the White House for calling on not only the Jewish people, but all Americans, to celebrate their faith and freedom as the Founding Fathers envisioned 250 years ago.
