For the first time in history, the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, has called on all Jewish Americans to keep Shabbos.

The call came on Monday when President Donald Trump issued a proclamation in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month. It included a call to Jewish Americans to observe a “national Sabbath” as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of America.

The President specifically pointed to the Shabbos of Parshas Bamidbar (May 15–16) as a day to strengthen Shabbos observance and express gratitude for our great nation. Many are calling it “Shabbat 250.”

“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,” the President 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.”

The President invoked President George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, and Revolutionary-era financier Haym Salomon, and paid tribute to the role Jewish Americans have played in the United States since its earliest days.

“This month, we celebrate the contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our way of life”, President Trump wrote in a statement. “We honor their role in shaping the story of our nation, and we remember that religious devotion, learning, and service to others are enduring pillars of a thriving culture. Through every trial and triumph, the contributions of Jewish Americans have shaped our past, strengthened our communities, and will continue to inspire American greatness for generations to come.

“We encourage our constituents to use the occasion of Shabbos 250 to reflect on the historic role America has played over the years in serving as a haven of religious freedom,” Agudath Israel of America said in a statement.

“Shabbos 250 is an opportunity to celebrate the religious liberty we enjoy in this great country and to reflect on the gratitude owed to the United States by each and every one of us,” said Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudath Israel of America’s national director of government affairs. “We thank President Trump for recognizing the important role of the Jewish people and Shabbos in the history of the United States.”

“Keeping Shabbos is always a beautiful and important thing,” Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff, shliach to Houston, told Chabad.org. “It is taught that if the Jewish people only kept two Shabbosim, Moshiach would be here — and the time for that has already come. Shabbat 250, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, is a beautiful idea. It’s the perfect opportunity to unplug and connect with G-d, your family, and your community in a real and meaningful way.”

For Yidden to keep Shabbos is a known method to bring the geulah. As Chazal say, “If Yidden would just keep two Shabbosos, they would be immediately redeemed.”

Many Lubavitchers are pointing out that, coincidentally or rather b’hashgacha pratis, the Shabbos that the President is calling for all to keep is the Shabbos before Shavuos, which for the last 40 years has been known among chassidim as “Shabbos Achdus.”

At the farbrengen of Shabbos Bechukosai 5746 (1986), the Rebbe called on men, women, and children from around the world to gather together with achdus on the Shabbos before Shavuos, as the Jewish people united “k’ish echad b’lev echad” before receiving the Torah. The Rebbe even called it a “bakasha nafshis,” a personal request.

“The following proposal and request is hereby made – a personal request:

“On the coming Shabbos, Shabbos Parshas Bamidbar, which is also the Shabbos Mevorchim and erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, at the time of Mincha – when the achdus of Rosh Chodesh Sivan already begins – gatherings should be arranged in every place where many Yidden will assemble – men, women, and children…

“These gatherings should be friendly assemblies, including even a physical meal.. with men separately and women separately.. Words of Torah should be spoken, especially matters relating to the love of Israel and Jewish unity”.

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The following is the full proclamation by President Trump:

This Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor the countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout our Nation’s 250 glorious years of independence, and we celebrate their unwavering commitment to the values that make our country great — faith, family, and freedom.

In his letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1790, President George Washington beautifully said, “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”  Since the earliest days of our Republic, Jewish Americans have helped build the cause of liberty and sustain the greatness of our Nation.  Among them was the iconic Haym Salomon, an early supporter of the war for independence.  As stories tell us, Salomon was instrumental in the success of our Continental Congress and Founding Fathers, and rallied support for freedom.  He was a zealous advocate against tyranny, and even after imprisonment by the British Crown, he continued his work in defense of freedom.  In the end, he gave everything to the success of the American Revolution.  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 the same letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, President Washington proclaimed that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”  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, especially on college campuses.  As President, I will never stop fighting to protect our birthright of religious freedom — a sacred right that continues to guide our Nation, drawing us closer to the Almighty each and every day.

Throughout this historic year, we rejoice in the triumph of the American spirit and rededicate ourselves to the cause of liberty and justice for all.  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.  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. 

This month, we celebrate the contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our way of life, we honor their role in shaping the story of our Nation, and we remember that religious devotion, learning, and service to others are enduring pillars of a thriving culture.  Through every trial and triumph, the contributions of Jewish Americans have shaped our past, have strengthened our communities, and will continue to inspire American greatness for generations to come.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month.  I call upon Americans to celebrate the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.  I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat to celebrate our 250th year.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

​​​​​​DONALD J. TRUMP