Source: The Baltimore Sun
On March 12, 1999, The Baltimore Sun published an article on the third annual "Shabbat Across America," which is an event sponsored by the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP) to offer a traditional Shabbat service on this Friday to non-religious or marginally religious Jews in over 700 synagogues across the United States and Canada. The event is a united effort by the four major Jewish branches and is offered in response to the growing J2K (Jewish 2000) problem. Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, founder and director of NJOP, stated that "as the year 2000 approaches and as Jewish assimilation continues to proliferate on this continent, too many Jews have no opportunity to participate in a traditional Shabbat service surrounded by friends and family members." The Shabbat service offered will include explanations of the prayers and rituals.