Shabbat Project unites over a million Jews around the world

The organizers of the project believe that they will top last year's numbers, as Meknes, Morocco; Kigali, Rwanda; Nahariya, Israel and Le Grand Mort, France join the 2019 project.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A community in Johannesberg participates The Shabbat Project with a havdallah celebration (photo credit: THE SHABBAT PROJECT)
A community in Johannesberg participates The Shabbat Project with a havdallah celebration
(photo credit: THE SHABBAT PROJECT)
Over a million Jews will join together in more than 1,500 different cities around the world to keep the Jewish Shabbat on November 15-16.
A little before sunset on Friday, November 15, participants will begin to observe the laws of Shabbat, including not working, not using electrical devices and not cooking. Observant Jews follow these laws every weekend, but the Shabbat Project includes many Jews who don't usually keep Shabbat.
Last year, over a million participants in 101 countries and 1,511 cities and towns took part in the Shabbat Project. The organizers of the project believe that they will top those numbers this year, as Meknes, Morocco; Kigali, Rwanda; Nahariya, Israel and Le Grand Mort, France join the 2019 project.
The theme of this year's project is "Jump Together" in response to rising levels of antisemitism in the US and around the world, most recently observed in a shooting in which two were killed outside a synagogue on the Yom Kippur holiday in Halle, Germany. The Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history, happen on the weekend of last year's Shabbat Project.
"We must not let our Jewish identity be defined by the evils of antisemitism. Our strongest and most powerful response to the darkness of Halle, Pittsburgh, Poway and other recent inhuman attacks is to boldly spread light in the world — to redouble our humanity and inspire a more uplifting Jewish identity," said South African Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein, who founded and directs the Shabbat Project. "We cannot be intimidated or paralyzed by the darkness. We mourn and we pray, but we are not defeated or afraid."
As part of the project, participating cities will hold challah (a braided bread made specially for Shabbat) baking events, concerts for the havdallah ritual that marks the end of Shabbat, family and community dinners, festive prayer services, children's activities and even week-long celebration. A team of over 8,000 partners in participating cities as well as tens of thousands of volunteers will coordinate all the events.
Tech mogul and advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, Jeremie Berebie, will work alongside organizers to bring the project to over 50 French cities.
In Eastern Europe, the EnerJew youth movement will coordinate a Shabbat experience for Jewish teenagers in 40 cities in the former USSR.
Organizers have been challenged to innovate on the traditional challah bakes that have occurred every year. Previous years have seen cross-border, silent disco and glow-in-the-dark challah bakes. This year there will be a mindfulness-and-meditation bake in Mexico City, "pink challah bakes" to raise breast cancer awareness in over 20 US cities and an attempt by organizers in Melbourne, Australia to break the Guinness World Record for the world's longest challah. The record currently stands at 20ft.
The Shabbat Project has also release dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages for Spanish, French and Russian speakers with content customized for each region.
A simple seven-step guide to Shabbat observance has also been developed by the Shabbat Project team, including rich ideas and philosophical reflections that flesh out the meaning and methodology of various Shabbat practices. The guide is available in four different languages and tailored for diverse audiences.
"Our approach is predicated on the idea that the real energy of Shabbat — its transformative power — is wholly dependent on immersing oneself in the full Shabbat experience," said Goldstein. "Over the past six years, through the power of that experience, we’ve seen individuals and communities do great things — things that before were not thought possible. We’ve seen walls torn down, families rejuvenated, deep feelings awakened, deep friendships formed. The power of doing that together, all across the Jewish world, is simply incredible."
"It’s time for the Jewish world to jump together," added Goldstein. "To recommit to our heritage, to the grand idea of what it means to be a Jew — and to find our way forward to a future filled with inspiration and determination, a future that will see us defeat those who seek to destroy our values. When we do that, we move the world.


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