My Shabbat Table

In this book, we hope to convey the tradition of Shabbat and its meaning and value to our family. Our Shabbat table is a place and time where we all come together- to eat, laugh, and enjoy one another. It’s where delicious food is shared and beautiful memories are made. It is also a testament to our diverse heritage. The foods that are found on our Shabbat table represent our cultural background, with dishes originating from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Israel, Uzbekistan, and our home, United States of America. These dishes tell the story of our family, as well as the history of so many Jewish families all over the world. This book is part of the new children’s book series Bigger Than Me: My Story, My Culture ©, an exciting partnership between Bexley Public Library and The Ohio State University. The 2025-2026 program for this community-engaged initiative was supported through The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences Office of Engagement, Office of Academic Affairs Outreach and Engagement, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Humanities Institute, Center for Ethnic Studies, OSU Libraries, Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Themes “Archival Imaginations,” Center for Languages Literatures and Cultures, Bexley Public Library and the Bexley Women’s Club. Bigger Than Me books are the final outcome of a series of intergenerational heritage workshops designed to translate interdisciplinary research methods into applied, participatory, practice-based approaches accessible to wider publics, equipping participants with skills for library research, oral histories collection, ethnographic interviews, material culture analysis, narrative and storytelling strategies, and public speaking, and bringing together children, their parents and extended family to explore their own epic story. To learn more about the series visit https://www.bexleylibrary.org/biggerthanme