Op-Ed: Chanukah Mitzvah Tanks, Are They A Good Thing, Or A Disaster In The Making?

by Annonymous

It happened today.

It was a fender bender. Nothing really major, just a Mitzvah Tank that rear-ended a car on President Street. I would have expected it to be a few minutes of discussion, probably an irate driver, shared insurance information, and maybe an insurance bill. Instead, it was an outright Chillul Hashem.

The driver bailed, running off from the accident, and was followed by nearly 10 young boys jumping out the back. The non Jewish driver who was just rear ended was left looking at an abandoned Mitzvah Tank, plastered with a picture of the Rebbe and sign clearly saying “Happy Chanukah”.

I don’t even know where to start.

Should I ask why the driver ran? Was he not licensed? Was he too young?

Or maybe with the young boys in the back. Eight, nine boys? Is safety even a factor?

Or maybe we should start with responsibility. Was this a tank from the Mitzvah Tank Office, or maybe some of the other personal ones rented out by numerous classes of boys and arranged by others?

It wasn’t too long ago that I was a bochur myself, and I find myself rethinking what I did.

The excitement of preparing for the Mitzvah Tank Parade was definitely a highlight of my Chanukah, and there is no question that we did tons of great things. But the other parts of what happened then are (maybe purposefully) a little bit fuzzy.

Who exactly was taking responsibility for the tank? I’m not sure I ever really knew. It could have been the 770 bochur who was assigned to drive it, but I doubt in hindsight that it was his credit card on the line.

We all promised to be at seder on time the next day, but in truth, that didn’t last more than a day or two.

After seeing what happened today, I can only think of what many many things could have gone very very wrong, and I have to ask myself two questions.

Being older now, would I do it again? Would I allow my children to do this?

The answer to both questions is no.

To be clear, I am not saying that Mitzvah Tanks should not happen. What I am saying is that something is not right, and I think that thing is responsibility and oversight. As far as I can tell, right now there is none, and most definitely wasn’t any when I was a bochur.

I hope that this letter makes parents and schools think things over, and make sure that there is a clear level of responsibility and oversight, BEFORE things go wrong. There is no reason we have to learn from tragedy here.

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17 Comments

  • Jimmy

    I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know what your experiences were, but I would go out on a limb here and say this story didn’t happen, or at least not the way it was portrayed!

    On every tank there is an Eltere Bocher, a chaperone, either he or the driver *would* take responsibility!

    The bottom line. there was always responsibility for everything that happened!

  • Shliach

    There are tens of terrible stories. They are being run irresponsibly and causing many bochurim a lot of harm. The additional chilul Hashem on top of that I didn’t even realize. Many bochurim are convinced into it and are not given proper insurance or coverage for tickets by reds for parades, or getting their car smashed by another driver and the car is in the bochurs name and they don’t back him

  • Parent

    The tanks are organized by class. one parent signs off and gives their card as a deposit. In addition all drivers are supposed to fill out forms and send in license and their cc to be considered a registered driver. The class also finds their own chaperone 18+. Keys are supposed to be left at the tank office or kept by the driver if it’s the same all Chanukah.
    – a parent who did it this year.

    • Parent who rented

      B”H

      I rented a tank for my sons class.
      We have been very careful to have an older bochur helping.
      There are only two of us that are listed drivers and we never had anyone else Drive other than us.
      Because some bochurim did something wrong is not a reason to naysay the whole program.
      The Mitzvah tank office is very strict making each parent renter come in to review the details and obligations.

  • Let's get involved!

    Be the change you want to see!
    I’m sure the mitzva tank office would love to have more responsible adults volunteering to drive and chaperone.
    Instead of pouting cold water on the Rebbe’s inyan, let’s participate and help it run more smoothly.

  • MARCELO CUKIERMAN

    What happened to common sense and responsibility? The rabbis have to step up and do a better job at making their students responsible and accountable, as many of these bochurim are away from their families.
    Anti-Semitism is rising in the real world and we cannot afford to create or increase in will towards Jews because or careless yeshiva students.

  • Berel stianhouser

    I am familiar with this incident, and you got the story wrong.
    There was a Bachur driving a tank on President Street, when a black taxi cab cut him off. Then the driver of the tank was right behind The cab, and the cab driver was making sudden stops causing the tank to hit the back of the cab.
    They Pulled over, but the cab driver suddenly pulled out a knife. Shocked, the Bachrim Fleed away.

    • Anonymous

      I know one of the brochurim that was on the tank. Please stop lying to cover up for your friend. It was a 15 year old kid who was driving, he didn’t even have a permit. He actually lightly crashed into two tanks a couple of minutes before.

      They ran away, because the oldest person on the tank was 15, there was no knife. We need accountability, not his friends spamming the comments. This must stop!

  • The rebbes mivtzoim

    All the tanks are well organized by parents and principals just because one time one stupid bachur did something doesn’t mean the whole system is messed up, in this article you aren’t clear about any bad things that have ever happened to anyone in the past stop trying to mess with the rebbes mivtzoim!!! Happy Chanukah!! Careful what you read.

    • announumis

      Story is true, it was a 15 boy driving it, I agree it was wrong of that class to give him the key…

      But this is one out of 50 tanks that was rented this year for chanukah mivtzoim not every tank has a 15 driving it.

      I have rented RVs in the past for chanukah, the RV company gives FULL insurance with the rental so if something goes wrong the driver STAYS cause he is insured and the car as well..

  • Chaim Harari

    You don’t know anything. Or at least you didn’t know anything when you published this article. So now this false story is rapidly spreading and causing a lot of problems.

  • yosef brook

    I saw the tank crash and immediatly, I re-considured my life decisions.

    I will no longer drive a tank ever again.
    Sorry to everybodys car I wrecked.

  • Par for the Course

    Our boys frequently read online about their goyishe neighbors who crash and run away. Too bad they learned from a bad example, but in NYC crash and run is par for the course.