Over the last 13 years, the Shabbos Project has brought Shabbos back to the centre of Jewish consciousness, especially here among our own community. It has helped us appreciate the beauty, joy and holiness of Shabbos. It has inspired many Jews in our community to begin their own journeys – some to taste Shabbos for the first time, some to keep more of Shabbos, and some to start keeping it completely every week.

Now, more than 13 years later, the time has come to take the Shabbat Project to the next level.

One of the most important lessons I have learnt in life is that just because something has worked does not mean it should always be done in the same way. When something works, we need to keep growing with it. We should avoid complacency. We need to ask how to build on it, how to innovate and rethink it, how to take it further and to  greater heights.

That is what we are now doing with the Shabbos Project.

Moving forward requires us to rethink even the things that have succeeded – not for the sake of change, but so that we can serve our community better and fulfil our purpose more effectively.

That is what we are now doing with the Shabbat Project. We are looking to do things completely differently. The vision has not changed, but the way we bring that vision to life must evolve.

Before deciding what the next stage should look like, we listened.

Over the past number of months, we have undertaken an intensive research process, including focus groups with Jews in South Africa, Israel, the United States and elsewhere. We listened carefully to how people feel about Shabbos, what they are searching for and what could help open the door to the Shabbos experience for more people.

The new approach has grown directly out of those conversations. It has been shaped by the feedback we received and, in a very real sense, developed together with our community.

The first change is that the Shabbat Project will move from October to February. This means that the Shabbat Project planned for this October will instead take place in February 2027. Going forward, February will become the regular date for the project around the world.

This is a transition year. Some communities will continue with activities around the previous date. In Israel we have partnerships with more than 100 municipalities for inspiring unity events in cities throughout the country, which will bring a spirit of unity, as it is the first shabbos after the national elections. and there will also be activities in France and North America. From February onwards, we will all come together on one shared schedule. The Shabbat Project has always been about unity – about bringing Jews together through Shabbos.

But the change of date is only the beginning.

What is coming in February will not simply be the familiar Shabbat Project taking place at a different time. It will be unlike anything we have done before. It will have an entirely new structure and approach, designed to help people experience the beauty of Shabbos not only as one special weekend, but as a source of joy, connection and spiritual strength throughout the year.

In the weeks and months ahead, the picture of what is coming will emerge piece by piece. I personally feel tremendously excited and energised by what has emerged from this process. I have a profound sense of the possibilities that lie ahead.

The Shabbat Project began here, with our community. Now, together, we are ready to take it to new frontiers.

I look forward to sharing more with you soon.

Chief Rabbi Goldstein