Largest Mitzvah Tank Parade to Hit the Streets of NYC This Thursday in Honor of the Rebbe’s Birthday
76 Mitzvah Tanks, marking 76 years of the Rebbe’s Nesiyus, will parade from 770 on Thursday, 8 Nissan (March 26th), in honor of the Rebbe’s 124th birthday.
In 1974, in the shadow of the Yom Kippur War, the Rebbe sent his tanks into battle. Not tanks of steel, but tanks of Mitzvos! Five decades later, the mission has never been more urgent.
In honor of the Rebbe’s 124th birthday, 76 Mitzvah Tanks, staffed by Tankistim from yeshivas around the world, will pass 770 and parade to Manhattan before they disperse throughout the city, wrapping tefillin with hundreds of men, handing out Shabbos candles, and distributing thousands of matzos, creating a proud and welcoming Jewish environment in the bustling city.
While Yud Alef Nissan falls on Sunday this year, the parade is being held strategically on Thursday. With over 3 million people commuting into NYC on a typical workday, the streets of Manhattan are packed with foot traffic, giving the Tankistim far greater reach than a quiet Sunday would allow.
“The moment the tanks roll past 770 is the most precious,” says Rabbi Mordy Hirsch, Executive Director of the Mitzvah Tank Org. “Mitzvah tanks loaded with matzah, tefillin, and Shabbos candles, ready to fan out across the five boroughs, conquering NYC with Torah and mitzvos.”
The Mitzvah Tanks were born from war — the Rebbe’s direct response to the Yom Kippur War, when he called on Chassidim to open a spiritual front alongside the physical one. Tefillin strikes fear into our enemies. And Shabbos candles push back the darkness.
Amidst ongoing challenges in Eretz Yisroel, the tanks rolling through New York are not merely an outreach effort, like tanks on a battlefield; the Mitzvah Tanks are on the front lines.
“The Rebbe made it clear: we fight with light,” says Rabbi Moishy Schmukler, Co-Director of the Mitzvah Tank Org. “Tefillin, Matzos, and Shabbos candles are our weapons. And on Yud Alef Nissan, we deploy them on the largest scale.”
The Mitzvah Tank Organization, under the auspices of the Lubavitch Youth Org., is calling on Anash and Shluchim around the world to take part in this massive matana to the Rebbe:
Salute the Parade: Come out to Kingston and President, or 770, on Thursday, March 26th, (8 Nissan), 10:30 AM, and salute the tanks and Tankistim as they head out to conquer the city.
Help put matzah in someone’s hands and tefillin on someone’s arm. Help us raise $124,000 to make this parade a reality: TankParade.com.
Be a part of this matana to the Rebbe, and join us on the front lines to bring Moshiach now!
