Juneteenth Shabbat is presented in partnership with Metropolitan Baptist Church of Newark and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).

Our speaker will be Metropolitan Baptist’s associate pastor, Rev. Dr. David Jefferson, Jr. You might recognize him as one of the football players from Remember the Titans. 

Our chef for the Juneteenth Shabbat dinner, a fusion of Jewish and African diaspora cuisines, is Kai Campbell:

Kai Campbell, born and raised in the city of Newark, is described as a visionary, working in distressed urban development. First, as a municipal economist and later running his own shop, Kai has worked in the arena of economic development his entire career, helping to change culture and skylines in urban markets, especially Newark’s. Kai is behind Walla Food and Beverage Group, which oversees the Walla, Bragman’s Delicatessen, and The Yard (all Newark-based food establishments).

Kai looks to fundamentally change the trajectory of Newark’s food and culture scene; he and his team aim to provide a standard of service typically not reserved for communities like Newark. Kai’s initiatives include working with Newark Working Kitchens (NWK), a COVID-19 response that has ordered hundreds of meals each from 24 restaurants to deliver to thousands of city residents, from low-income seniors and families to homeless people.