One Shabbos was just the beginning!

I have something truly exciting to share with you.

The Shabbos Project is about to undergo the most significant transformation in its history. After more than a decade, we are reimagining it in a bold new way. What is coming will not look like anything we have done before.

Let me start with what has not changed, because it matters most of all. Our vision has always been to bring the beauty and power of Shabbos to the very centre of Jewish life in a spirit of unity and joy. That has not moved, and it never will.

What is changing is how we get there.

When we launched the Shabbos Project in 2013, the call was simple and singular: keep one full Shabbos, and keep it together. What began here in South Africa spread across the world, bringing Shabbos back into Jewish conversation and inspiring Jews everywhere to experience it together, and to grow in our connection to and keeping of Shabbos.

Now comes the next level. We are getting ready for Shabbos Project 2.0.

This is a year of transition, so some communities will still mark the original date. In Israel, more than a hundred municipalities and many national organisations will come together for major unity events on the original date which turns out to be the first Shabbos after the Knesset elections. There will also be gatherings taking place in parts of France and North America and other places in the world. Then, from February 2027, all communities around the world will come together on one shared calendar as one people.

But the real change is more profound.

Shabbos Project 2.0 has been shaped by what you have told us. Over recent months, we undertook an extensive process of research, including focus groups and interviews with Jews in South Africa, Israel and America. What we heard was deeply encouraging: our people love and treasure Shabbos, and want more of it in their lives. They value the way it strengthens Jewish identity, creates precious time with family and friends, offers a haven from the pressures of the world and, most importantly, deepens their connection to Hashem.

The new Shabbos Project responds to that desire in a new and unexpected way.

The real change is this: instead of focusing on one Shabbos a year, the new version of the project will open up many more ways for individuals and communities to explore, discover and experience Shabbos throughout the year.

Everything you loved about the Shabbos Project remains — the unity, the joy and the extraordinary experience of coming together as one Jewish world. We are building on all of it, while opening the door to something new and exciting.