Moms on a Mission: 300 Secular Israeli Mothers Embrace the Shabbat Project

A First Shabbat, a Lasting Impact

This coming Shabbat marks the annual Shabbat Project, a worldwide initiative that brings together thousands of Jews from all backgrounds in the shared experience of keeping Shabbat. Among them will be 300 Israeli women, many of them secular, for whom this may be the first Shabbat they’ve ever observed.

These women, all mothers and wives, call themselves "Moms on a Mission."  “My family and I did the Shabbat Project the past two years, and we’ll be doing it again this year,” says Shlomowitz-Stein in an interview with Ynet. “My daughters say they look forward to this Shabbat all year. Friday morning we bake challah together and prepare all the meals as a family.”

Far from being an outlier, Shlomowitz-Stein represents a growing number of secular Israeli women who eagerly anticipate the unique experience this Shabbat brings.

From Curiosity to Commitment

Since catching what she lovingly calls “the Shabbat Project bug,” Shlomowitz-Stein has taken on the responsibility of organizing and coordinating the project across Israel. These days, she’s under no small amount of pressure, but says the payoff is worth every minute.

Her family may be secular, but as she puts it, they are “very Jewish.” And that connection runs deep.

She still vividly recalls the first Shabbat she ever observed. “It was an indescribable experience,” she shares. “And it happened in Jerusalem! Shabbat always sounded to me like a long list of ‘no’s’—no phone, no driving, no freedom. But after I experienced it, I realized it’s actually the only time I’m truly allowed to just be with myself and with my family.”

The Shabbat Project gave her that legitimacy, she says, and she’s embraced it with both hands. “I joined this Jewish journey because I’m a mother, a Jew, and an Israeli. That’s the bedrock of who I am. Beyond that, I love people, I’m curious and adventurous, and I want to make a difference.”

A Shabbat of Peace and Unity

“Our initiative was born from a desire to take the opportunity presented by the Shabbat Project and turn it into a tool for strengthening unity among the Jewish people,” Shlomowitz-Stein concludes.

Whether it's their first Shabbat or their third, these 300 women (and many more around the world) are rediscovering an ancient tradition through a fresh, personal lens. Together, they're proving that Shabbat isn’t just about observance. It's about belonging.