Jewish Americans across the United States are being encouraged to observe a national Sabbath beginning Friday evening, May 15, beginning a weekend of religious observances and public gatherings ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary. The weekend will include Shabbat observances from Friday through Saturday, followed by “Redirect 250,” a Christian prayer and worship event scheduled for Sunday on the National Mall in Washington.
The Shabbat observance is set to begin at sundown on Friday and continue through nightfall on May 16. In a White House statement issued for Jewish American Heritage Month, President Donald Trump encouraged Jewish Americans to take part in what he described as a national weekend of prayer, thanksgiving, and reflection.
“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 said.
The president said the observance would honor “the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.”
His statement praised the historical role of Jewish Americans in the United States and linked the observance to broader celebrations marking 250 years of American independence: “This Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor the countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout our Nation’s 250 glorious years of independence.”
The statement also referenced President George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, in which Washington wrote that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”
The White House statement also addressed antisemitism and campus unrest, with President Trump saying his administration was “aggressively fighting the violence against Jewish Americans” and “working to end the scourge of anti-Semitism throughout our institutions, especially on college campuses.”
Following the national Shabbat, “Rededicate 250” organizers are planning a nationwide Christian gathering on the National Mall on Sunday, May 17. Organizers described the event as a historic day of Scripture, testimony, prayer, worship music, and national reflection ahead of the country’s 250th birthday.
The program is scheduled to begin with morning fellowship in front of the US Capitol before continuing at the main stage on 12th Street. Gates open at 9 a.m., with the full program running from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Organizers said the event will center on three themes: “The Miracles that Made Us,” focusing on God’s providence throughout American history; “The Miracles Still in Our Midst,” featuring testimonies of healing and faith; and “A New Birth of Faith and Freedom,” described as a collective expression of gratitude for 250 years of freedom and a prayer for “God’s blessing, guidance, and grace for the next 250.”
The event will be livestreamed nationwide through partner churches, ministries, and organizations, and is free and open to the public.
