SUAZANNE BELLING
Challah bakes, Havdalah concerts, special meals, parties, picnics, but most of all, togetherness, are the themes of the Shabbos Project in South Africa.
Johannesburg’s Great Big Challah Bake took place at the Norwood Mall rooftop on Thursday (November 10), while the Cape Town challah bake, followed by a concert, had as its venue the OZCF Market, Granger Bay, on Wednesday.
In Johannesburg, various shuls have arranged a variety of events:
Pine Street Shul members will host guests in their homes. On Shabbos day, there will be a hospitality centre, a Kiddush with a guest speaker and a lunch. There will be another guest speaker in the afternoon, a walk to the park and a children’s programme.
At the seudah shlishit there will be a talk on how a congregant has been affected personally by the Shabbos Project. This will be followed by Havdalah for the children.
Sandton Shul will have a guest rabbi for Shabbos. The project will commence with pre-Shabbos drinks. There will be a dinner, with story tellers to entertain the children. Events on Shabbos day include Kiddush lunch, pizza and ice-cream for kids, and a musical Havdalah concert. Members have booked accommodation near the shul in order to keep Shabbos.
Sydenham Shul will hold a Friday night street brocha. On Shabbos day there will be a lunch with the focus on youth.
Linksfield Shul will have a lunch and lectures on Shabbos day.
The Base will have members of an overseas band at lunch, followed by mincha (5:00pm), seudah shlishit (17:30) and Havdalah at Sandringham Gardens.
Waverley Shul has an erev Shabbos car bar with snacks and congregants will later host families for supper. On Shabbos day there will be a brocha, lunch and seudah shlishit. There will be learning programmes with guest speakers throughout the afternoon, panel discussions and interactive debates, as well as programmes for kids. Havdalah will be under the stars
Edenvale Jewish Community will host a dinner on Friday night and Shabbos lunch and seudah shlishit with a guest rabbi.
Emmarentia Shul will host a Friday night dinner. The shul’s guests will be Rabbi Aharon and Rebbetzen Mashi Rose.
Chabad Glenhazel and Lyndhurst will host Friday night dinner and Shabbos lunch at the Open Flame restaurant.
Ohr Somayach Savoy will host a big open street dinner – an inter-community event with surrounding suburbs. The aim is to promote unity.
The Bnei Akiva Shul will join the Yeshiva College Campus for a joint Friday night service, followed by a festive meal at the movement’s bayit at 21:30. On Shabbos day members of the movement from all age groups will attend lunches at different homes and meet at the bayit for dessert. The seudah shlishit will be with all the youth on the Yeshiva College campus.
Aish Hatorah will host a Chinese banquet dinner on the Friday night. On Shabbos day there will be a brocha, seudah shlishit and musical Havdalah.
In Cape Town, Chabad of the West Coast is having 24 hours of Shabbat learning. It is launching a raffle for a ticket to New York for a youth who commits to keeping Shabbat and learning for half an hour. At Sunset Beach, there will a “pop-up” shul in a home on Friday night, a big walk to shul on Shabbat day and lunch at the shul.
Herzlia Weizmann School in Sea Point will have games and activities for the young on the premises.
The Phyllis Jowell Jewish Pre-Primary School has arranged a Shabbos day picnic in the park with a children’s programme.
The Cape Town Hebrew Congregation has arranged “glamping” in luxury tents, in the area next to Gardens Shul for people not living in the area. It will cost R2 100 for a whole family.
Morasha is introducing “Hosting or Hungry” to take care of single people in the community.
The Green and Sea Point Hebrew Congregation is hosting a young adults’ dinner.
Milnerton Shul has arranged Kabbalat Shabbat booklets for all Jews in Cape Town. It will host a Friday night communal dinner.
The Claremont/Wynberg Hebrew Congregation is holding a communal dinner.
The Pretoria Hebrew Congregation has organised families to host guests in their own homes on the Friday night. On Shabbos day congregants will be greeted with snacks when they arrive at shul.
The service will be followed by a communal lunch where people will talk about how the Shabbos Project has affected their lives. There will be games for the children, a quiz for the adults and a musical Havdalah.
The Durban Hebrew Congregation is hosting a lunch with a children’s programme, commemorative seudah shlishit and musical Havdalah.
