The Avi Shabbat offers an opportunity to bring together students from a wide range of political, religious, and identity divides to share a communal Shabbat meal and conversation focused on fostering interfaith understanding and cross-cultural encounters.

This program was created in memory of Avi Schaefer (z”l), a remarkable young man and student at Brown University who actively sought to change the atmosphere on campus surrounding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Avi was a change-maker, a bridge-builder, and a doer who exemplified how one person can make a difference.