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Speaking of God, as Souls Hurry By

The graffiti has been replaced by advertising. The tokens have been replaced by MetroCards. But the subway preachers are a constant. They were there before I was born and will likely be there after I die — unless, of course, their occasional prophecy of the exact date that the world will end turns out to be accurate.

Some hand out leaflets quietly while others shout passages from the Bible. Some have a strict schedule; others show up whenever they are moved to do so. There seems to be little uncertainty of mission, no sign of existential angst. Most are Christian, servants of J, but there is the occasional Hasidic Jew wandering the concourses.

These proselytizers do not, generally, ask for much. You don’t have to give them money to buy a sandwich, and you’re not really obliged to feel guilty if you look away. If you take a tract or ask a question, you’ve gone well beyond your civic duty. Most riders ignore them. Over the past few months, I did not.

YAHAV GAL, 22

OBSERVED Asking passers-by, “Are you a Jew?” on a Sunday at 1 p.m. in Times Square.

BACKGROUND A Lubavitcher Hasid from Israel who was visiting Brooklyn in September for the holidays, and, “if the Moshiach” — Yiddish for Messiah — “doesn’t come in the next few minutes,” planned to return to study at the movement’s headquarters there.

MESSAGE To help secular Jews observe holiday rituals, like shaking the lulav last month for Sukkot.

“We try today to get Jews to say thank you to God and bless God. We hope that every mitzvah that a Jew does will bring closer the Moshiach.”

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11 Comments

  • you bet

    he looks so tmimus’dik! that face is what intrigues people. The truth is seen through and through.
    Yea, and buy a new hat!

  • avi

    it is a very sincere picture. I don’t think he needs a new hat. Think of it from the perspective of a secular Jew. Do you think they know the difference between a brand new hat and the one the guy is wearing? to them it is all the same, A BLACK HAT! as long as it is clean!!!

  • mushka

    Baruch hashem, thank you for posting something that makes the rebbe proud.. We need more of this kind of positivity!!:)

  • the rebbes feet!

    Amazing, very inspirational, we dont realize what an affect we have on people, just by being ourselves. sometimes they were just waiting for the day that someone came to them and miraculously knew they were jewish! (the worst is when you ask people in the subway, “excuse me, are you jewish?” and then they look affended and say, “uh, yah, i live in crown heights!!!!”)