A Shabbos House for Jewish Teens & Young Adults
Shabbos, Shabbat, or Shabbas — however you spell it, the Bunker of Light is the Shabbos house in Toms River, NJ where teens and young adults show up, eat well, and belong.
What a Shabbos house actually is
A Shabbos house is exactly what it sounds like: a home whose door is open for Shabbos, every single week, to people who need one. At the Bunker of Light that home is Yosef and Sarah Shidler's house on Bunker Hill Drive, where 52 Shabbosim a year — separate boys' and girls' weekends, with rabbinic guidance — fill the table with teens and young adults from across Ocean County.
Some come for the food. Some come for the singing and farbrengens that go late. Some come because it's the safest hangout a Jewish teen can find — the one place all week where nobody grades them. All of those are the right reason.
No cost, no pressure, no fine print
Every meal is free, sponsored by donors who believe every Jewish teen deserves a seat at a Shabbos table. There's no membership, no application, and no religious bar to clear — teens and young adults of every background and level of observance are welcome, and Torah is offered to whoever wants it, never pushed on whoever doesn't.
More than a meal when you need more
Because the Shabbos house is also a real home with real adults, the table naturally connects people to everything else the Bunker offers: one-on-one mentoring, help finding work, mental-health support and advocacy, guidance for parents, and a place to stay for Shabbos when home is too far — or too hard — to go back to.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a synagogue or an organization building?
Neither — it's a family home in Toms River that runs as an open Shabbos house for teens and young adults, under the guidance of rabbanim.
How often do Shabbos meals happen?
Every single week, all year — 52 Shabbosim plus Yamim Tovim, with separate boys' and girls' weekends.
Do I need to sign up?
Just message ahead so we know to expect you — WhatsApp 718.781.6405 or the contact form. First-timers and friends are always welcome.
One message is enough to start.
Reach out for yourself, your child, a student, or a friend — quietly, warmly, and always free.