Just One Shabbos

A

ll those who are pessimistic about the future of Diaspora Jewry — myself included — should take heart from the success of the Shabbos Project. Last year, a million Jews participated in various Shabbos events — challah bakes, Shabbos-oriented classes, Havdalah concerts and everything in between, and even more are expected this coming Shabbos.

Though not all will be keeping a full Shabbos, that figure demonstrates nevertheless that there are still many Jews who are seeking genuine Jewish experiences and who are deeply moved by sharing those experiences with other Jews across the spectrum of Jewish observance.

South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein first conceived the initial Shabbos Project in 2013 as a local South African initiative. But the overwhelming success of that first Shabbos Project encouraged him to look for ways to export that initiative across the globe. This year the Shabbos Project will be taking place in 1,500 cities in 105 countries on Shabbos parshas Vayeira.

From the beginning, the emphasis has been on enabling Jews to experience “the transformative power” of a full Shabbos. Rabbi Goldstein’s shrewdest insight was that Jews are much more likely to try something completely new if they know that they are being joined by tens of thousands of fellow Jews like them around the world. Thus the slogan of the Shabbos Project — “Keeping It Together.”