Trump Urges Americans to Observe "Shabbat250"

US President Donald Trump called on Americans to observe a national Sabbath from sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, tying the initiative to the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations and Jewish American Heritage Month.

The call was included in Trump’s Jewish American Heritage Month proclamation on Monday. The president said the national Sabbath would honor the contributions of Jewish Americans over “250 glorious years of independence” and recognize the Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection and gratitude to God.

Trump said Jewish Americans have played a major role in the country’s development since its founding. He pointed to Haym Salomon, the Polish-born Jewish financier who helped fund the American Revolution and co-founded Philadelphia’s first synagogue. Salomon died penniless at 44 and was buried in an unmarked grave despite his support for the revolutionary cause.

“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,” Trump said.

Trump also cited George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, in which Washington wrote that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” The letter has long been regarded as a foundational statement of American religious liberty and the place of Jews in the new republic.

The president also used the proclamation to address antisemitism, saying his administration was “aggressively fighting the violence against Jewish Americans” and working to confront antisemitism in American institutions, particularly on college campuses. He said his administration would continue to protect religious freedom and prosecute those responsible for antisemitic crimes.

Jewish American Heritage Month was first recognized nationally in 2006 by former president George W. Bush. Since then, presidents Bush, Barack Obama, Trump and Joe Biden have issued annual proclamations marking the month.

The proclamation came shortly after a bipartisan resolution recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month was introduced in the US House of Representatives. The resolution calls on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public about Jewish American contributions to the country. It also notes that approximately one million Jewish men and women have served in the US armed forces since the nation’s founding.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who led the resolution, said the month offers an opportunity to combat antisemitism by educating Americans about Jewish contributions to the country’s history, including Jewish military service.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement has also urged municipalities across the US to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month. Last year, more than 200 municipalities issued such recognitions.