The upcoming Shabbat is the International Shabbat, a global project that connects millions of Jews every year around Shabbat. Naomi Bruder from Gibraltar asked me to write a few words for her community, and relevant for other communities too:
"Thank you very much for the support, prayers, donations and caring these days. You are working for Israel and against Hamas. You remember the kidnapped and you are fighting anti-Semitism. We feel all of this very well. This is not an Israeli story, it is a Jewish story and it is a world global story. Thank you very much.
But now you have a special opportunity to connect with us: many think that in order to be updated you need to be connected to news from Israel 24/7. The coming day is the proof that to be truly connected to Israel – you need to connect to Shabbat. Not to hear the immediate updates but to connect to the ancient, eternal truth.
Stop for a moment from hearing what the UN and the White House are saying, and listen to Abraham and Sarah, the heroes of this week's Parsha on Shabbat. They have a lot to tell us today: how to build a culture of faith and kindness, how to fight enemies, and how to live as proud and happy Jews.
Millions around the world together are saying: we are disconnecting, in order to connect. Not Push, but Kiddush. We don't text each other, we connect on a much higher level.
Shabbat Shalom, Gibraltar. The word Shabbat means a lot to us, as does the word Shalom. Let's get to feel both, soon.
Sivan Rahav-Meir
Jerusalem".
