'Powerful and very inspiring': The Shabbat Project turns 12

Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein, the chief rabbi of South Africa, and his wife, Gina, started The Shabbat Project, a global movement to encourage Jews of all levels of faith to observe Shabbat, in 2013. This year, from sunset on Friday, Nov. 15, until the stars come out on Saturday, Jewish people from around the world will come together to observe this sacred day of rest and reestablish a connection to God and with each other.

The Shabbat Project begins every year following the Torah portion Vayera, which shows the hospitality of Abraham, whose tent was always open to welcome strangers. The first Shabbat Project was held in the Chief Rabbi’s home country, where 30,000 South African Jews filled synagogues, attended post-Shabbat concerts and attended a "dinner under the stars," according to The Jerusalem Post. The project has grown exponentially since then – Rabbi Goldstein said he expects there will be over a million participants this year, from 1,500 cities and across 100 countries.

Festivities will include challah bakes, concerts and mitzvah (good deed) auctions dedicated to hostages and soldiers in Israel, and people locally who need healing, according to Robin Meyerson, Director of the North American Shabbat Project.

Rabbi Goldstein described Shabbat as a "divine gift." He explained how observing Shabbat honors the gift of family, faith, and connecting with others "in a world where all of these values are as vital as they are increasingly elusive." He added that Shabbat gives "one day each week and we are free and blessed. And it is never more than six days away."

Rabbi Goldstein told Fox News Digital that Shabbat has always been a soul mate and constant companion that has accompanied Jewish people throughout history, bringing "peace, inspiration, rest and respite, no matter what we have faced." During these formidable times, while war rages in the Middle East and there is a massive global surge of antisemitism, he emphasized that Shabbat "fortifies us with a sense of purpose, giving us the courage and strength to withstand the challenges of Jewish history."

Tomer Weiner, 26, relayed to Fox News Digital how he and his girlfriend, Shoval Roberman, 24, survived the Oct. 7, 2023 Supernova music festival massacre in southern Israel, where Hamas terrorists murdered 364 young festivalgoers, and abducted approximately 40, through "thousands of miracles."

Weiner relayed how his birthday, Oct. 14, fell on Shabbat the week after the terror attacks, and was "a celebration of life." He said that he "thanked God for keeping me safe after what we've been through." In the Shabbat Project launch video, he described the holiness of the atmosphere.

"People look at each other’s eyes without being on the cell phone," he said. "Everybody is so united."

Columbia Law student Eli Shmidman, 27, said Shabbat has unified students on campus. After a year of battling antisemitism, students who had never kept Shabbat before saw that Shabbat "is something that uniquely identifies us as who we are," and felt a strong desire to connect with it, he said.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a record 477% increase in campus anti-Israel incidents involving vandalism, harassment and assault throughout the 2023-24 school year.

Shmidman described how non-Jewish friends who had offered their support also wanted to experience what Shabbat was like.

"They also found it very powerful and very inspiring," he said. 

In The Shabbat Project video, Israeli released hostage Sapir Cohen, 29, described how she made a pact with God before she was abducted to Gaza. As terrorists broke down the door, she promised, "God, I will keep Shabbat. I will keep Shabbat." She said that she always believed in God, and told herself, "If you are in Gaza, it’s because God sent you here."

Cohen was abducted from her boyfriend’s parent’s home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, where 40 people were murdered and 79 kidnapped, including her boyfriend, Sasha Troufanov, 28, who is still being held hostage, according to reports. 

Several months ago, Cohen spoke at Congregation Beth Tefillah of Arizona about how putting everything aside on Shabbat makes her feel free.

"I feel peace in my body and in my mind," she said. "This peace gives me a lot of energy to start a new week." 

In the video, Cohen said that she dedicates Shabbat to the soldiers and their loved ones, and to the hostages who are still in Gaza.

To see The Shabbat Project commercial, please click here.