BJX (Brooklyn Jewish Xperience) is kick-starting the Shabbos Project this year with a Challah bake, Thursday evening, October 25th. This is an exceptional opportunity for Jewish women from around Brooklyn to come and unite with their less affiliated friends and colleagues as they together mix the ingredients and braid the challah. These women will sing, dance and joyously create some delicious Challah along with other less affiliated women.

The Shabbos Project will officially commence Friday evening in typical BJX style with a beautiful and heartfelt Carlebach Kabbalas Shabbos with the renowned Traveling Chassidim. World renowned speaker Rav Ephraim Shapiro of North Miami Beach will be joining BJX for the entire Shabbos. This will take place at Tiferes Yisroel Hall (1271 East 35th street between K and L), a location that is central for all communities, including Flatbush, Marine Park and Mill Basin. 

People throughout the world are inspired, captivated and brought to laughter and tears with the power and sincerity of Rav Ephraim Shapiro’s drashas. He will certainly ignite the pintele Yid in all the attendees. Rabbi Shapiro will give a brief drasha during Kabbalas Shabbos and set the tone for beautiful Shabbos. After the rousing and uplifting davening, there will be a spectacular and grand Shabbos Project dinner with Yidden of all backgrounds uniting in honor of Shabbos. This is a dinner that is by reservation only. Many BJX students who began their Jewish journey for the first time at BJX, will be bringing family members to experience their first Shabbos. People from all over Flatbush will be bringing their less affiliated neighbors, colleagues and cousins.

Following the dinner, at 9:45pm, the entire community is invited to attend the grand Oneg of song and Chizuk at Tiferes Yisroel Hall with the Traveling Chasidim and the super-inspiring Morah D’Asrah of BJX, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer. Rabbi Shapiro will address the audience at the Oneg on the topic of, “The Secret to Happiness.” Everyone is welcome to attend the leibidek and hartzidik Shabbos morning davening led by world renowned singer Shloime Dachs at the BJX Beis Medrash, located at 2915 Avenue K. Rabbi Shapiro will give the drasha and speak about “Living with Emunah in Difficult Times.” The inspiration and achdus will continue with a special Shabbos afternoon shiur at the BJX Beis Medrash 4:30pm (doors open 4:15pm) by Rabbi Shapiro on maintaining Shalom Bayis. Mincha will be at 5:20pm. Following Mincha, there will be a community-wide Shalosh Seudos at which Rabbi Shapiro will be speaking in the topic of parenting and prevention. The community Shalosh Seudos, held at Armon Hall (in Palace Cafe on Nostrand Avenue) will also be enhanced with exciting guest speakers who will ignite the crowd and further deepen everyone’s appreciation for Yiddishkeit. 

With all types of Jews unifying together -along with the right balance of inspiration- the BJX Shabbos Project promises to be transformative. It will conclude with a soul-stirring musical Havdalah at Armon Hall conducted by the famous Traveling Chassidim. The excitement for the Shabbos Project is growing. “People want to know how they can get involved and make a difference,” said Rabbi Moshe Fingerer, Menahel of BJX. “They want to encourage other Jews to experience Shabbos.” Rabbi Moshe Fingerer explained why the Brooklyn Shabbos Project was so paramount, “Brooklyn has the highest percentage of Jews in North America. In a certain sense people throughout the world are looking at us in Brooklyn to pave the way and set the right example.”