Chabad of the Shore in New Jersey has begun flying a banner in the sky each Friday afternoon, informing sun worshipers what time candle-lighting is for that particular Shabbat. This is an interesting approach, because it starts from the basic principle of going to where the people are; on a hot summer afternoon, people—at least the lucky ones—are at the beach.

Those who care about precise candle-lighting time probably already know when it is, but for those who don’t, the banner functions as a public reminder that Shabbat is on its way. This is a good start for bringing Judaism to the public sphere, but there is room for so much more. What about building a public space event beyond the news-flash in the sky? Some kind of follow-up in the air, or better yet, on the ground? Perhaps a Shabbat evening service held on the beach?