This Shabbos, Parashas Lech Lecha, something very special is taking place in South Africa. On the initiative of South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, thousands of Jews who have never kept Shabbos before have committed to keeping it in its entirety.
In Rabbi Goldstein’s words, the project is “audacious, bold, never tried before, so powerful yet so simple. On Shabbos Parashas Lech Lecha, October 11-12, all South African Jews will keep one Shabbos together, from sundown on Friday to stars out on Saturday night, following all the halachos as set out in the Code of Jewish Law.”
Ninety percent of South African Jews are affiliated with Orthodoxy. Even those who are not shomrei mitzvos attend Orthodox shuls and send their children to Orthodox schools, all of which are under the auspices of the Chief Rabbi. The South African network of Orthodox shuls and schools became full partners in this noble project, encouraging their members and students to participate.
A full-fledged campaign was launched to promote The Shabbos Project, including billboards and posters throughout the cities and an official website. Shabbos booklets and toolkits were published, including general information on the beauty and meaning of Shabbos and a step-by-step guide to keeping Shabbos properly, without compromise.
In the weeks preceding this special Shabbos, a great deal of excitement was generated, with thousands signing up to keep this Shabbos.
In advance of the event, thousands of women and girls gathered to bake Challah together, to prepare for the massive initiative.
Surely there will be extra kedushah in the world this Shabbos because of this heightened level of shemiras Shabbos. Perhaps we in the United States can tap into this extra kedushah, enhance our own shemiras Shabbos, and help add to the zechuyos that will bring Moshiach closer.
I think the shabbos project is a gr8 idea can’t wait to do it in Montreal
Wonderful response, everybody was having such fun.
What a wonderful weekend it was starting wth the incredible challah bake and ending with the exceptional Tribute Dinner to Rabbi and Marcia Tanzer…proud to be visiting SA from Atlanta USA. Hearty Mazeltov to Rabbi Warren Goldstein on creating this amazing experience for the Outstanding SA Jewish Community.
It was lovely to see all those beautiful faces
Just one shaabos and many shall follow.
Chief Rabbi, you’re awesome
well done SA!!!!
To no 5. Yiddishkeit is BH alive and well in SA because the wonderful SA Jewish community has the zechus(merit).
Yiddishkeit was here before Chabbad and before the L’Rebbe ztl.
i love it how all you guys who left sa jump on the band wagon and are “howzit boet…lekker…lekker” south africans when it suits you….like when ppl say “u sa people r so nice good middos etc etc”!!so why did u leave….ull talk about the crime…how unyeshivish we are…baal tshuverish…no future here..bladi bla…but ull still want to marry our kids cos we SOUTH AFRICAN….stop being worried about everything and start living…sa is a good place..ppl r happy..they aint doing god any favours!!!
Well done South Africa.Let`s show the world!!
Elyse
London U.K. and Cape Town S.A.
Just wish I could have been there to share this wonderful event. There is no Jewish community in the world that can come close to the South Africans!!!! May Hashem bless you all and may Rabbi Goldstein continue with his wonderful ideas to bring the community together..
My sister lieba moffson and her husband the great tzadk Rabbi Shmuel Moffson sent me this article. They and many others helped to set an environment in south africa where Jews connected t to each other irrespective of thier level of observance. It is a model which I wish we had here in the USA
iàm from mexico city when you have a big idea or project contact me and we can do it together
[email protected]
regards
linda
I have kept shobbos my whole life. I have been privledged to know and understand the connection I have when the candles are lit each and every week, but this week….this week was different. before shobbos EVERYONE wished me a good shobbos-the atmosphere seemed to drip with love and unity and kedusha. Rabbi Goldstein, I applaud your bravery to introduce beyond the “feel good yiddishkeity”, your humility of delegating tasks to insure the logistics worked and to be honest…i envy your olam haba!it was such a special shobbos!
As we get closer to Moshiach’s times the Jewish world recognises and takes on wonderful projects that the Rebbe worked hard to inspire all of Jewry. There was a time when I was growing up, that no one in the frum world looked at non frum Jews and discouraged this. Truth prevails, and though we do give credit where it is due, all those connected to Chabad should watch videos where the Rebbe speaks about sacrifice and loving your fellow Jew and knowing that everyones neshama is equal in the eyes of Hashem. The Chief Rabbi was not yet born… Read more »
What a treat and a real privilege it was to part of this
amazing phenomenon !!! Yasher koach to our chief Rabbi
and all who handled the enormous logistics !!!
excellent work from Hamilton Ont Canada
To the south African community, we thought the grass was greener on the other side until we emigrated. Every single place in the world today has it’s own challenges.had we been a bit wiser 20 years ago we would Never have left the most incredible Jewish community in the world! Kol hakovod to the Chief Rabbi,to Chabad, and the beautiful caring united Jewish community in south africa!
Awesome. Well done S.A. I am so proud of you
Yasher koach and kol hakavod to Rabbi Goldstein and all those who did so much and those who participated in this tremendous project to make it such a success. May everyone continue to enjoy good and wonderful togetherness like this and may all your lives be peaceful and happy. I am very proud of all of you!!
Yasher koach, Rabbi Goldstein. May you continue to bring Yidden back to Yiddishkeit and may the rest of the world be inspired to duplicate your amazing projects. My husband was a part of this while I was in Toronto. He was truly amazed.
Reading and seeing videos about this amazing project has shown me that SA is blessed with a wonderful Rabbi.
Rabbi Goldstein and his crew are amazing and created a great kiddush H-Shem… an example for all of us, worldwide!!
fantastic!!!!!!!!! unbelievable!!!!
KOL HA’KVOD TO THE ORGANIZERS.
Matie
What an outstanding project. Your Chief Rabbi is a shining
light to all the Jewish communities around the world who must be wondering why they had never thought about this first. It was a tonic to see all the happy faces of the Challah
bakers. Kol Hakavod.
A huge Yosher Koach to Chief Rabbi Goldstein and Gina, to Rabbi Tanzer and Marcia, and all the other Rabbi’s and their wonderful Rebbitzins, and to the entire SA Jewish community – we are so proud to be affiliated and are certainly not “cutting the apron strings” from such an amazing community. Well done, and Mazal Tov!
Every jewish community should learn from South Africa. The achdus amongst the different communities is far beyond what have seen in various american and Canadian communities.I am a proud south african that lives abroad and miss it like crazy, especially when I see things like this!
Chief Rabbi Goldstein
You have a vision, energy, devotion and selfless commitment to
bringing our beautiful Torah heritage to fellow Jews en masse.
May Hashem bless you to continue your exceptional work with many more successful projects that will not only inspire our local South African community, but assist overseas frum leadership in their endeavours. This Shabbos created a magnificent feeling of achdus , pride in our Torah heritage and warm satisfaction in the ability to share the experience.
Thank you Rabbi Goldstein and also to your team. From Jeff and Brenda Berlowitz and family.
Firstly lets just clarify that yes Rabbi Tanzer did so much for the Jews in South Africa BUT this Shabbos Project and the Challah baking and Havdalah concert were all the work of our Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, kol hakavod to him, Gina and his team!!! To #42 you must surely have left South Africa as your bitterness and negativity toward South Africa and those that have remained is quite obvious. There are many of us that given the chance especially financial would jump on the first plane and make Aliya but all of us are able to. Yes we… Read more »
You S A are wonderful people and are especially blessed to have a Chief Rabbi with the foresight charisma enthusiasm and dedication which Chief Rabbi Goldstein has.
I think world Jewry are justifiably jealous of you.
From the relatively Jewless shtetls of rural America, this is amazing to witness. We have been away so long now that we don’t recognize anyone any longer. Yet the faces still look familiar. Well done. Here’s hoping the Jewish contribution to the country as a whole continues to be as significant as it was previously.
I love how people always quote the rebbe as saying SA will be good till moshiach comes….. Well I would like you to define the meaning of “good”. Although this was a very special Shabbas project, one always seems to forget that thousands of South Africans left South Africa for valid security reasons. So, if you call daily robberies, assaults, and carjackings “good” , then you obviously don’t know South Africa. Although the South Africans who still live there always say that it is not so bad any more, well they are just in denial. It is that bad STILL,… Read more »
Admiration for ladies of SA – well done. So many faces I recognise from the old days.
What an amazing event! – wish we could have done this when my children were growing up – it must have been incredible to be a part of such a wonderful mitzvah! Asne Goodman – Florida, USA
Over many decades when people believed there would be no future for Jews in South Africa, the Rebbe repeatedly promised that SA would be good for Jews until Moshiach.
Clearly, the Rebbe’s brocha is in full-force.
Yasher Koach Gadol to Chief Rabbi Goldstein and all those that assisted him in this Marvelous Shabbos Project! May you all have much Nachas from your efforts!!!
Especial regards to ya’all from Houston, Texas, USA!!!
A fabulous Kiddush HaShem! Big Yasher Koach to Chief Rabbi Goldstein and all who assisted him, may you’all have much Nachas from this Great Shabbos Project!
Shalom Ya’all from Houston, Texas, USA!!!
Phenominal stuff what away for families and friends to unite asone . To break away from our weekly activities and just take in the spirit of shabbos
Its sooo beautiful to see such an incredible, inspiring event. An Olah Hadasha from South Africa, living in Israel now for 7 years… seeing this makes me miss SA soo much and it shows the world and Israel what an incredible Jewish community we have in SA. May all the other Jewish communities around the world follow in your example!
So proud of SA Jewry and the Chief Rabbi and all the wonderful Jews who participated in this amazing Shabbos Project. From beginning to end it was something unexplainable and so special. Kol hakavod! 🙂
Amazing and inspiring. So proud to be South African even though I live so far away! The South African community sets a real example for the rest of the world
What an awesome event. Looks like such a wonderful atmosphere..
Mazel tov to the whole community. So wonderful seeing some of my daughters and granddaughters there too. The whole community should derive much nachus
How incredible to see and I wish I could have been a part of it
What an amazing experience, Shabbas and Havdalah to see so many people from all the Keilahs coming together in Unity and having a shul packed to capacity for Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah was so emotional. What a kavod to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Tanzer.
Proudly South African !!!! Well done.
Proudly South African and Chabad as well. A huge
Yasher koach to Rabbi Tanzer- rosh yeshiva of yeshiva
College- thank you for all the amazing work you have
Done for the South African Jewry, you have created
Such a unified community of which I am so proud to be
Part of. Well done to our chief rabbi for an unbelievable initiative. The Shabbat project was amazing!
Proudly South African & Chabad. Well done to the Chief Rabbi without whom this
Shabbos Project could never have been achieved.
was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so organised and just amazing…………. so happy i was part…
proud chabadnik!!!!!!!!!!! The Rebbe must be proud!!!!!
Thanks to all who organised the event. May our community take this one awesome Shabbos and continue with their observance of the holy Shabbat on a weekly basis!!
To Number 12, couldn’t have said it better myself.
We are truly blessed here in South Africa to have such a Chief Rabbi who makes big things happen and inspires Yidden of all affilliations.
This was the most amazing shabbos! Rabbi Goldstein created such an incredible vibe across the country with so much excitement! BH!
Ps I am also a proud Chabadnik but let’s give credit where it’s due.
Wow Kol hakavod you are an example to the rest of world Jewry!
to number 5, 12, 17
Lets not forget what the German Jewish Community and Rabbi Tanzer did in Johannesburg before Chabad came. There was a mikvah, Chalav Yisroel, Kosher meat , and a kosher bakery and a full time Kollel. The Rebbe sent shluchum who indeed transformed South Africa , but with everyone’s participation – true achudus existed.
What a Kiddush Hashem
so heartwarming to c how excited the women are & the women that are dressd tzniusdigly
you are missing my point. Without the work of chabad in SA and the influence the Lubavitcher Reebe had on South Africa. Rabbi Goldstiens idea to keep Shabbos altogether would have been rejected.
kacevs we miss you!! you guys look awesome!
Thank you to the South African community for being true examples to the rest of us. This is what ACHDUS really looks like. Inspirational.
CS
Well done to the Chief Rabbi and his Shabbos Project team! This was amazing and the atmosphere over Shabbos was incredible!!
It was so well organized!
I am proud to say that I belong to such an amazing community with so much Achdus! This community is truly and example for the rest of the world to follow!!
Yasher Koach!!
Proudly Miss South Afric
I am a proud chabadnik but this project had nothing to do with chabad work. It is a joint project if all sa Jewry what a special beatiful community
There is no doubt that Chabad has done amazing work in South Africa. However this project was truly the result of inspired young leadership of the South African chief rabbi. The work of the chief rabbi in South Africa should be an example to all organizations that with young inspired fresh and talented leadership a community can achieve great things.
Shev and Lili, looking good:)
There is no community like ours!!!!!!
Hiiiii
Amazing what a kiddush hashem. Why moshiach is not here, I do not know
Amazing beautiful women baking challah together. What a great idea; you see their yiddishe neshomos shining through.
Yasher Koach. May this bring about the geula of MOSHIACH NOW!
well done south africa lets not forget 40 years ago such a concept wouldn’t exist without the work of chabad in south africa and around the world. Thank you to our dear Reebe zy’u and to his shluchim and chabad families around the world.
Good Shabos
U Rock, miss you!!
MARLENE AND TALI IT WAS GREAT SEEING YOU AT SUCH AN EVENT. YOUR FRIEND IN USA
that’s why I love South Africa!
GO SOUTH AFRICA!!
WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA 🙂
YASHER KOACH 🙂