Sarasota, FL – My husband, Steve, had a Shabbat birthday this year which prompts extra creativity on my part. Usually the Wednesday morning conversation leads to possible Shabbat plans. My response this time was “I got this.” During our 30 years of couplehood, we play who can top that. This birthday was no different. Erin, our daughter, who currently is in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast at the regional theater, Fireside in Ft. Atkinson, WI, created the birthday event via Facebook. And thus began the numerous invites for Steve’s themed birthday Shabbat dinner, The Longest Table. It actually paralleled WUSF’s event with the same name that “showcases prix fixe menus paired with custom adult beverages from the area’s finest restaurants.” So to compete with the fanfare, I called Sam Schneider, our Shabbat connoisseur, for meal consultation. Jake, our son, was the designated shopper and main courses chef. Uncle Mitch, Steve’s brother, curated the table and chairs set up on the lanai. Steve was relegated to his barn or Home Depot for the late afternoon as all hands were on deck. Friends prepared side dishes and desserts. As we had plunged back into Whole 30 for a food plan reset, we kept the meal compliant except for the Shabbat challah and exciting assortment of wines and desserts. By about 5:30 pm, the tables were set for 33 RSVPs. The private Facebook event was filled with well wishes from near and far, and it became clear to Steve that preparations were finalized as I needed assistance with some last minute “Honey Dos!” Each table donned a different set of favorite dishes that ranged from my Nana’s ugly china to our wedding set to our Judaica plates to our tropical island fish settings to the multi-colored everyday ceramics. Each table had a set of Shabbat candlesticks and colorful candles for families to light and bless.  Eli Weiss, a former student, Jake’s mentor, and now a colleague, was our first guest. He was in town from Orlando, and he quickly stopped in to surprise Steve and wish him Happy Birthday. It was so sweet. Shortly after, the other guests began arriving: birthday twin, Liz Klaber, and her husband, Neil, Anne and David Steinbach and their kids, Amy and Uzi Baram and clan, garden buddy, Fred Thibeaux and wife Judy, Olivia Haynes, cousin Joel Schwartz, Eileen and Noah Hochberg, Jamie and Neil Warren and their daughter, Bailey, Sam and Tali Schneider, Jennifer and Dennis Brock, Jake’s best friend and “our son from another mother, Merik Schechter, Jake’s girlfriend, Miranda Morris, and St. Thomas buddies, Paul and Michelle Grybowski.

There is something extraordinary about breaking bread with others and taking that necessary weekly pause to bless the candles and recite the kiddish. Dinner was buffet-style: three differently baked chickens, Jake’s hearty beef stew and my scrumptious just right baked lemon spiced salmon filets with roasted veggies. Sides included Mitch’s caprese with peaches instead of cheese, Olivia’s fresh salad served in one her husband’s oversized handmade wooden bowls, Sam’s vegan couscous bean salad, Judy’s garden salad with almost everything from the Weinberger/TEE (Temple Emanu-El) community garden, Amy’s fresh fruit, Jamie’s homemade chocolate chip cookies (not Whole 30 compliant except on Shabbat!), and delectable desserts.

Conversations were vibrant and connections rich. While most left about 10:00 pm, we continued with a bon fire, more rum drinks, wine, and fireside stories. It was such a sweet Shabbat and all involved seemed content. Thank you to Erin for your coordination, to Jake for your shopping and cooking, to Mitch for geometrical table and chair planning, our friends who were able to attend and to those who we will celebrate with another time, and to Steve for showing up surprised. The birthday gift is “Oh the Places We Go.” I love you. Happy 57th. Shabbat Shalom.