In Philly, Kansas City and New Orleans, Chabad Prepares for ‘Super Bowl of Mitzvahs’

by Tzali Reicher – chabad.org

Even as the city of New Orleans prepares to host the estimated 125,000 football fans descending on the city for Super Bowl LIX, a different kind of preparation is underway—one focused not on touchdowns and halftime shows, but on Shabbat meals and tefillin.

New Orleans is set to host Sunday’s NFL championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. But amid the celebrations, New Orleans’ Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries are gearing up for a busy weekend, ensuring that Jewish fans have a place to pray, kosher food to eat, and plenty of opportunities to do mitzvahs throughout the weekend.

“We’ve been fielding calls all week,” says Rabbi Yochonon Rivkin, leader of Congregation Anshe Sfard and director of Chabad of Tulane. “People are looking for Shabbat meals, a minyan, kosher dining options—they want to know how they can celebrate the game without compromising on their Judaism.”

His synagogue, situated within walking distance of the convention center and downtown hotels, is preparing for a packed Shabbat.

With an established kosher food scene, New Orleans is well equipped to accommodate Jewish travelers. Even so, Chabad rabbis have been actively assisting visitors in choosing the most Shabbat-friendly accommodations and locating kosher establishments.

“We’ll also be set up at locations in the French Quarter and Downtown starting Friday, and outside the stadium on Sunday,” says Rabbi Mendel Ceitlin, the associate rabbi at Chabad Jewish Center of Suburban New Orleans in Metairie. “We’re here to give fans a chance to do a mitzvah and connect with something higher before enjoying the game.”

For Shabbat, Ceitlin and his family will also be hosting the family of a child whose ticket to the Big Game was facilitated by the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Philadelphia Fans Prepare With Tefillin

Ultimately, football is a competitive sport with a winner and a loser—and any fan knows a little prayer won’t hurt their team. That’s the approach Jewish fans have taken in Philadelphia to some success, and the Eagles organization is fully on board.

Rabbi Doniel and Reuvena Grodnitzky direct Mamash Chabad for young professionals and medical students in downtown Philadelphia. The rabbi first met the Eagles’ Jewish general manager, Howie Roseman, in 2020, but it would be some time before their relationship really began to develop.

“As Chanukah approached in 2022, I remembered that I had Howie’s contact information and reached out of the blue,” Grodnitzky recalls. “I explained that we were hosting a public menorah lighting in Love Park, and asked if a player could attend to help boost the event.” Roseman was more than willing to help, and star defensive end Brandon Graham’s appearance helped draw a large crowd.

That moment sparked a relationship between Grodnitzky and the Eagles’ front office, one that deepened during the team’s journey to the Super Bowl in 2023. Before home games that season, Grodnitzky and a team of Chabad rabbis regularly set up at tailgates, wrapping tefillin with hundreds of fans. All the way through to the NFC Championship matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, the sight of Jewish supporters donning tefillin became a fixture of the Eagles’ pregame atmosphere.

“I sent Howie pictures of Jewish fans putting on tefillin, and he responded that it was amazing,” Grodnitzky says. “I suggested we wrap together before he left for the Super Bowl in Arizona, and he was happy to do it.”

The Eagles fell just short in that championship game, losing in a thriller to the Kansas City Chiefs. Two years later, they have a shot at redemption against the same opponent.

“I never promise executives or fans that putting on tefillin means we’ll win,” Rabbi Grodnitzky explains. “We do it because it’s a mitzvah, and because the Torah says we should. Of course, we hope the team wins too.”

Over time, Grodnitzky has become a familiar presence at the Eagles’ headquarters, visiting Roseman to facilitate mitzvahs—whether it’s laying tefillin, shaking the lulav, or delivering menorahs. Players and staff have embraced him, and ahead of the team’s trip to New Orleans for the big game this week, Head Coach Nick Sirianni stopped him in the hallways to ask for a blessing. Grodnitzky, however, remains clear about the purpose behind his efforts.

“For me, football is an opportunity to reach more Jewish people and show them the beauty of Judaism,” he says laughing. “Football brings people together, and it gives us a unique opening to connect them to something really spiritual and meaningful.”

If the Eagles pull off a win this time, he knows what’s coming next.

“We’re expecting a big turnout for our Super Bowl Shabbat dinner, but if there’s a victory parade—can you imagine how many Jewish fans will be ready to put on tefillin?” he says. “That would really be a Super Bowl of mitzvahs.”

‘Surely It’s No Coincidence’

Jewish fans in Kansas City, Mo., have gotten used to winning.

Their Chiefs have dominated the NFL in recent years, appearing in four of the last five Super Bowls and winning three of them—including back-to-back titles. A victory on Sunday would make Kansas City the first team in history to secure three consecutive championships, otherwise known as a three-peat.

Rabbi Avremi Baron, who leads CTeen of Kansas City alongside his wife, Mushky, sees a parallel in the team’s success and his own journey.

“It’s been three years since we moved here to serve the Jewish teenagers of Kansas City, and the Chiefs have been winning ever since,” he says with a laugh. “Surely it’s no coincidence!”

This Friday night, the Barons will host a Super Bowl-themed Shabbat event. Throughout the playoffs, CTeen of Kansas City hosted game-day watch parties that turned the excitement of Chiefs matchups into opportunities for mitzvahs—whether it’s observing Shabbat, wrapping tefillin, or making blessings before kickoff.

Baron sees the Super Bowl as more than just a game; it’s an opportunity to add more to Jewish life.

“This weekend isn’t just about watching a game—it’s a chance to participate in something meaningful. Football is a game of action. So is Jewish life.”