In Jewish tradition, Shalom Zachar is the Friday-night gathering that welcomes a newborn boy before his circumcision.
The name is Hebrew for “welcome the male,” and the gathering usually takes place during the first Thursday night after birth, following the baby’s arrival home. Friends, relatives, and community members visit the family, offer congratulations, and eat refreshments.
Shalom Zachar is especially associated with Ashkenazi Jewish practice. It is not the circumcision ceremony itself: that ceremony is the brit milah, normally held on the eighth day when medically appropriate. It is also different from pidyon haben, the redemption ceremony for certain firstborn sons.
The gathering’s timing connects it with the weekly transition into Shabbat. Customs vary by community, and some families may use different foods or omit the event entirely, but its welcoming purpose remains consistent.