We are delighted to start the evening with Feast of Strangers: A Menu of Meaningful Conversations, an optional pre-dinner social to get to know some new faces over drinks and conversation.
6:00pm - Feast of Strangers: A Menu of Meaningful Conversations
6:45pm - Shabbat dinner
9:45pm - Carriages
Please note that we are partnering with Jami for this Friday Night Dinner as part of Jami's Mental Health Shabbat 2027. See more info below.
Please contact Gianina at gianina@jw3.org.uk with any dietary requirements before 11th January.
About Feast of Strangers: A Menu of Meaningful Conversations
What happens when you skip the small talk and have a real conversation with someone you’ve never met? Inspired by Theodore Zeldin’s Feast of Strangers, this warm, sociable and fully participative session offers a different way to get talking. You’ll choose from a specially created menu of conversation topics, pair up with different people and see where the conversation takes you.
Led by workshop facilitator and self-confessed off-the-scale introvert Claire, there’s no pressure to be witty, outgoing or brilliant at talking to strangers. The questions do the hard work for you. Expect interesting prompts, unexpected common ground and the chance to hear perspectives you might not otherwise encounter.
The session is designed for people who are curious and interested in others, and is equally suited to people arriving with friends or coming on their own. You don’t need any prior knowledge, preparation or special conversational skills, and there’s nothing you need to bring - just some curiosity and a willingness to join in.
You’ll leave having had conversations you probably wouldn’t have had otherwise, and perhaps knowing a few more faces around the dinner table.
About Feast of Strangers
Feast of Strangers is inspired by the work of historian and philosopher Theodore Zeldin and his belief in the power of conversation to help us discover more about other people – and ourselves. Rather than relying on the usual small talk, strangers are given questions and themes that invite them to exchange experiences, ideas and perspectives. The result is less about having the “right” answer and more about the pleasure and surprise of a conversation you wouldn’t normally have.
About Claire
Claire is a workshop facilitator and career coach with a Master’s in Career Management and Coaching, where she specialised in networking. She is Chair of Governors at the Archer Academy and a former Chair of Limmud. Claire is fascinated by how people connect through conversation - so if you fancy a chat, she’d love that.
About Jami
We all have mental health and it is just as important as our physical
health. Starting a conversation about mental health is an excellent way to challenge the
stigma and get people thinking and talking about their perceptions of mental health
and mental illness. During our Shabbat dinner we will have the opportunity for introspection, sharing insights and learning about Jami's impactful work to enrich and save lives impacted by mental illness in the Jewish community.
Click here to find out more about Jami's services: https://jamiuk.org/
Click here to make a donation to Jami: https://jamiuk.org/donate/
Your donation will directly benefit someone living with mental illness in the Jewish community.
