Dr. Levitas agreed that one table was ripe for research.

There's something about Shabbat dinner that helps us connect is I think a working hypothesis that's actually shared among a lot of people who work in the Jewish communal sphere.

People who aren't Jewish and are designing programs around shared meals actually also share that hypothesis that there are other programs that that exist right now in this building civic dialogue space or providing interfaith opportunities, all these kinds of initiatives.

A lot of them actually had experiences of a Jewish ritual meal.

Sometimes they cited Shabbat dinner.

Sometimes they cited a Passover Seder.

But they had some experience of a Jewish ritual meal, even if they themselves were not Jewish, that they thought was powerful.

And that's not always comfortable.