What is DC Musical Shabbat?
DC Musical Shabbat welcomes families and friends of all ages to celebrate Shabbat together in song and in nature. On two Saturdays each month, DC Musical Shabbat gathers to sing, jam, play, and weave a rich Jewish experience for adults and kids alike. A team of 4-8 talented musicians, led by Aaron Shneyer and Ari Appel, sits at the heart of our Shabbat circles, with another 60+ community members seated facing each other in concentric circles. We begin with songs for our youngest and then shift into “heart-opening” melodies and extended musical jams pulling elements from Shabbat mincha, seudah shlishit and havdalah practices. During the warmer months, we meet outside, weather-permitting, in Rock Creek National Park, so children (and parents) can easily move between singing and playing.
DC Musical Shabbat fosters a sense of belonging through an open, barrier-free space, where anyone can feel comfortable and welcome. No matter whether a young family has been highly active in the Jewish community or if they have never stepped foot in a Jewish communal space before, DC Musical Shabbat is a space for everyone to experience, explore, and create what meaningful Jewish life means to them. This manifests through the relaxed atmosphere and physically open layout of programming, and also through intentional choices we make in selecting accessible melodies, often with fewer words, creating song-sheets and chord sheets for anyone to sing along or join with their instrument, and carefully wording Hebrew translations and intentions before each prayer/song to be as theologically inclusive as possible.
Music offers one of the richest and most accessible ways for anyone and especially for children to feel the vibrancy of Jewish life and the power of community. We invite everyone who comes to share in the development of everything we do and especially to support designing and leading meaningful experiential content such as TuBishvat neighborhood cleanups or Shavuot mountain climbing adventures. Adding havdalah, seudah shlishit and holiday gatherings to our initial Shabbat morning gatherings stems directly from our desire to “Build Thick Ties,” and deepen our communal experience.
Our Journey and Mission
DC Musical Shabbat began as a heartfelt initiative by a group of parents in Washington, DC’s Ward 4, seeking a joyful and inclusive Shabbat experience for their families. We aim to create a welcoming space where music and community intertwine, offering a dynamic Shabbat celebration that resonates with Jewish culture and values. We focus on nurturing connections among young families and providing a platform for both children and adults to engage in meaningful and uplifting experiences. Our gatherings are open to everyone, fostering a sense of belonging and renewal through the power of song and shared tradition.
Meet Our Leadership Team
Sara Schoen
Coordinator
Aaron Shneyer
Music Co-Leader and Admin
Ari Appel
Music Co-Leader
Lula Uribe
Leadership Committee
Our History
Sara Schoen and her (musical) husband Ari Appel hosted some informal kid Jewish holiday and shabbat gatherings at their house with friends both in Petworth and then after they moved to 16th St Heights in 2021. Ari had expressed a pull to lead with other musicians, so in May 2021 Sara reached out to Aaron Shneyer, a Takoma DC dad and professional musician and service leader we’d met a couple times at a mutual friend’s birthday parties. Turned out that he and his wife Lula had talked about organizing uptown shabbat gatherings, and Lula also used to organize informal shabbat gatherings in Adams Morgan when they lived there. We all joined forces, invited a bunch of musicians and families, and the first Musical Shabbat happened just over nine months later on March 5th, 2022.
The Am Kolel Judaic Resource Center kicked us off with a very generous grant, and from March 2022 until July 2023, Musical Shabbat met once a month. In June 2023, DC Musical Shabbat was awarded Federation funding, enabling us to increase to twice a month starting in September 2023.
Our Milestones
Explore the key moments that have shaped DC Musical Shabbat into the vibrant community it is today.
2015-2018
Musical Shabbat Gatherings in Petworth and AdMo
Sara Schoen and Ari Appel started hosting Shabbat gatherings for young families in their backyard in Petworth. Meanwhile, Lula Uribe and Aaron Shneyer were part of hosting similar Shabbat gatherings at Walter Pierce Park in Adams Morgan.
2022
DC Musical Shabbat Launches
Connecting through mutual friends, the Schoen-Appel and Uribe-Shneyer families started organizing gatherings of musicians and families one Saturday morning per month.
2023-2026
Expansion of Activities
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington awarded DC Musical Shabbat a multi-year grant, enabling us to begin meeting twice each month, in Rock Creek Park when the weather is nice and either at someone’s home or a nearby church during the colder months.
“This is the best Shabbat gathering we’ve been to, it was really amazing, and we’re going to start trying to come to all of them!”
Lee Ann Custer
mom of 3-year-old
“Sela was playing musical Shabbat this morning and told Evan “you be Lisa and I’ll be Ari”. Musical Shabbat is a huge part of Sela’s and our lives. It’s really a huge deal that it exists.”
Deena
longtime participant and mom of preschooler & toddler
“I’m really grateful for the community you’ve all created and connecting us to what resonates.”
Lily
parent
“The organizers have created a space where music and community thrive together. It’s a joy to be part of such a vibrant group.”
Carrie
mom of preschooler and first grader
Join Our Community
We invite you to experience the joy of music and community with DC Musical Shabbat. Really, all are welcome – ages 0-120, Jewishness completely optional, literally atheist to orthodox. Bring instruments! Bring a snack if you like. Or just bring yourselves!