Chabad House meets the KitKat Club

Synagogue Shabbat dinners follow a pattern as predictable as the menu.

But what if you want to meet new people on Shabbat away from the stern guidance of an Orthodox rabbi? What if you don’t want to be forced to dress in a certain way? What if you want to occasionally drop the f-bomb and let a little loose?

Cue: Sinners' Shabbat.

This event, in New York City, opened my eyes to a new form of Jewish expression. One where I could schmooze with my fellow Jews – and our allies – as my free-spirited self without being punished (unless that’s your thing, of course).

At first, I wasn’t convinced this was a real Jewish event, but the white Hamsa on the logo and the 'Fridays are for freaks' slogan were so intriguing, I knew I had to check it out for myself.

Sinners' Shabbat is hosted by Jewish influencer Chef Tova. It takes place monthly in Brooklyn and there’s a new theme each time – the night I attended was ‘Circus’.

You can’t just walk in. You need to complete a form, which includes your social handles (over 20,000 people currently follow Sinners' Shabbat on Instagram), and be approved to purchase a ticket. Thankfully I was.

On the day of the event, I received an email with a set of instructions on what to expect, how to prepare and a set of rules. This included a strict dress code, which could get you kicked out if you didn’t respect. I knew upon reading the line, “we love to see expressivity from guests, but undergarments must stay on”, that this would be a Friday night service like no other.