On the seventh day: Shabbat observance and practices among British Jews

In this report:

“More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews”, said Ahad Ha’am, encapsulating the significance of the day of rest to many Jews everywhere over the centuries. While its origins are biblical and the requirement to observe it appears in the Ten Commandments, in contemporary times Shabbat is observed in many ways by different types of Jews.

This factsheet uses data from JPR’s recent study of Jewish identity in the UK today to explore the social and religious significance of Shabbat to British Jews and how it is practised. The study is based on the responses of nearly 5,000 British Jews, members of the JPR Research Panel, to its UK National Jewish Identity Survey, held in November – December 2022.

Some of the key findings in this factsheet:

• Just over one in three Jews (34%) say Shabbat is ‘very important’ to their Jewish identity, a substantially lower proportion than those who say the same about ‘remembering the Holocaust’ (71%), ‘strong moral and ethical behaviour’ (69%) or ‘feeling part of the Jewish People’ (65%).
• While 88% of Orthodox Jews say Shabbat is ‘very important’ to their Jewish identity, this is the case for 36% of Traditional Jews and 28% of Reform/Progressive Jews.
• About six in ten (61%) British Jews attend Friday night meals most weeks, while 58% regularly make time for family and friends, and 50% take a break from work on Shabbat.
• 80% of British Jews light candles on Friday night at least occasionally, and about the same proportion report buying challah (plaited bread) at least occasionally. Observance of Shabbat peaks between the ages 40-49.
• 27% of respondents attend synagogue most Shabbats or more often. 23% abstain from driving on Shabbat, and 20% say they do not use electricity.