Look who came to dinner:

They did not wait for Pesach. On Friday night, May 30, Temple Emanuel's professional and lay leadership invited all who were hungry- spiritually and/or physically- for a free Shabbat dinner and service. Three-hundred and fifty responded. About half were congregants, the other half guests, according to Adrienne Mintz, who co-chaired the dinner with Robin Miller. (Both women are vice presidents of the Temple board).

Temple Emanuel Board member Jill Dubin (standing) greets congregants and guests seated together at dinner. Rabbi Jerome P. David claims the "Shabbat Experience" as his brainchild. "I was soul searching," he said. "Thinking about Temple Emanuel's mission and vision statements." His introspection led him to the Prophet Isaiah who said, "My house shall be a house of prayer for all people," and he thought, "Why not open our doors to anyone who wants to experience Shabbat?"

When he brought the idea to the Temple board, it was an instant go, according to Joyce Hoff, president of the Cherry Hill Reform congregation. "Not only did we welcome the idea, we also made it happen," she said.

Robin Miller (left) and Adrienne Mintz, Temple Emanuel vice presidents and chairs of the May 30 community Shabbat dinner, prepare for the arrival of 350 dinner guests. Twenty-five board members were among the 40 volunteers who shopped, cooked, decorated, served and cleaned up after dinner. "We loved doing it," said Hoff. "And we hope to do it several times a year."

Dinner was followed by services and a special Oneg Shabbat. "There were Hebrew songs and Yiddish music. And the Oneg treats were all homemade by volunteers." All in all, far more than 350 experienced Shabbat that evening. "There were some who came only for services and the Oneg," Hoff said. "They, too, had a special treat."

The services were extraordinary, according to Hoff. "When we marched the Torah, participants not only touched the Torah, they were also touched by the Torah."

"The singing and marching was so joyous it seemed like Simchat Torah," said Rabbi David. "Our parking lot was so full, it seemed like the high holidays."

"The entire village extended itself to prepare this Shabbat experience, and the entire village responded to the invitation," said dinner cochair Robin Miller. Outreach was done by ads in the secular press, 25 small curbside signs, email, website and word of mouth. "We were reaching out to the unaffiliated, but we were also doing this for ourselves," said David. "We didn't know who would come. … And we're pleased that the turnout was as diverse as our very diverse congregation."

"Folks came from all over South Jersey and even from Philadelphia and surrounding areas," said Adrienne Mintz. "The entire experience was just fabulous. … I wanted to chair the event because our Temple has so much to offer, I wanted to help people experience it."

"We hit a home run," said Joyce Hoff. "And yes, we will do it again." .