The time is 8:30 AM, Purim morning, in Crown Heights. Most people in the neighborhood are just getting up to hear the megillah and daven shacharis. On the street corner of Empire and Albany a group of Lubavitchers are gathering together to set out on a Purim day mission; a visit to the Rikers Island Correctional Facility. This ritual has taken place Purim day, for the last 20 years. Founded by Rabbi Yossel Tevel OBM, and Rabbi Michoel Chazan, under the auspices of Tzach, it has become a hallmark outreach project for many bochurim and yungerleit of Crown Heights.
My Rikers Island Purim Experience
The time is 8:30 AM, Purim morning, in Crown Heights. Most people in the neighborhood are just getting up to hear the megillah and daven shacharis. On the street corner of Empire and Albany a group of Lubavitchers are gathering together to set out on a Purim day mission; a visit to the Rikers Island Correctional Facility. This ritual has taken place Purim day, for the last 20 years. Founded by Rabbi Yossel Tevel OBM, and Rabbi Michoel Chazan, under the auspices of Tzach, it has become a hallmark outreach project for many bochurim and yungerleit of Crown Heights.
This Purim adventure has many legs to its journey. The first stop for all is the security checkpoint just outside of Rikers Island. Photo identifications are reviewed and clearance is given to proceed forward. The vehicles travel through an additional few checkpoints until they reach their destination. It’s now time to unload the cars packed with music equipment and delicious food and get ready to create the scene of the year at the facility.
Executive Jewish Chaplain, Rabbi Leibowitz greets the group at the prison’s entrance. The scene is a familiar one, the energy is tangible, but the presence of Rabbi Yossel Tevel is sorely missed and ever so apparent. Yet, Yossel’s kids, along with the bochurim and yungerleit are determined to make this year’s Simchas Purim at Rikers no different than any other.
They continue their trek through the endless corridor of locked doors. One Prison door is opened, clearance is given, and then the group may proceed to the next room. As the group approaches the large gymnasium, you could hear R’ Mendel Tevel voice echoing through the air. “Let’s go in with a shturem… with a bang!
Inside the room, awaiting the bochurim, are approximately 20 tables of almost 100 inmates. Almost all of them are Jewish. They are wearing orange, grey or brown jumpsuits, and waiting anxiously for the Rabbis to show up.
Suddenly they burst in, “Happy Purim!” they shout. “Misha Misha Misha… Nichnas Adar…” Song breaks out around the room. Bochrim rush over and grab inmates and pull them up to start dancing. It has caught these depressed souls by surprise. Many of them don’t even know how to respond. Dancing? Here? Now? Many have a hard time getting out of their seat. Bochurim grab them one by one until they have as many as possible on the dance floor.
The inmates are ecstatic. To be able to dance with a band in prison is unheard of! The bochurim dance with every bit of strength they have, making sure to look out for the inmates who look a little more depressed and who may need the extra energy. Five bochurim rush over to an Israeli with a long white beard who is sitting and crying, pick up his chair and march him through the room as if it was his Bar Mitzvah day. Another prisoner is put on the shoulders of a bochur and paraded through the room making him feel on top of the world. For these inmates, this spirit is a power boost for an entire year. The scene in the room is alive. Music is blaring. The place is as alive as could be.
Next, bochurim use the opportunity to put on tefillin and read the megillah. As the megillah reading concludes, the festivities continue as five large yellow chickens come barging in dancing and distributing Purim delicacies to all. If you were an outsider and didn’t know this is a prison one may have easily mistaken the scene in the room for a small wedding or a Bar mitzvah celebration!
It was a sight to behold! A Purim to remember! A lesson for all – that Simcha, true joy, can penetrate even a dark dreary place like Rikers Island.
Proud Lubavitcher
And then people (my family also) wonder why I, from a Litvish home, became Chabad!!!
Kol Hakovod. May you all be blessed. What you did/do is wonderful.
I have a question…are there any Jewish guards? Were they there?
:-)
I find it funny that they make getting out at 8:30 early!
hakaras hatov
should do that amazing work and name it as an org after Y. Tevel a”h.
Mendy W.
I dont think inmates in jail deserve a party, not for purim and not for any other occasion.
They are in jail for a reason. They committed crimes and HURT people.
They should eat bread and water, They should sit in a cold cell and think about what they did.
Inmates in riker’s are violent felons. They do not deserve music and dancing. They do not deserve sweet cakes. They do not deserve to smile.
Ever heard of the word PUNISHMENT ? They deserve to be punished for their crimes. Let them sit and rot in jail without any visitors.
A better way to use your time and resources on purim would be to gather all the victims of the crimes of the jewish inmates at rikers island, and make a party for them to cheer them up.
amazed at early wakeup
Did they make a minyin in the lot after getting up early?
Great job! Keep up the good work.
Shidler
TO #5 a comment to the same article on a litivish site (matzav) a non chabadnick wrote:
Makes no difference what the yiden are sitting for its a massive mitzvah which We cannot fathom the schar to livin up a depressed nishumu it is a must and the schar must be enormous. Molesters should never be tolerated but when they are out of harms way and their nishamus are in deep depression we must give them chizuk. There must be a massive schar in oilum habu for these chabad chasidim who do so much good and they definitely do it lishem shumayim to go on purim morning when everyones so busy you gotta be a massive tsadik!
bee
Keep up your good work! I’m sure Rabbi Tevel had a lot of Nachas!
agree with shidler!
#5
A Yid doing a mitzca (simchas purim) can never be a bad thing!
Keep it up!
i have tears in my eye
I miss Papa Bear so much.
its just not the same.
rikers alum
Wow, what a change from the last time I was in Rikers for Purim, which was when I sold a few hundred grams of special Purim simcha powder to an undercover cop who didn’t like my price and didn’t hold by the hechsher on my powder either.
When I was there, I had to take care of simchas Purim by making moldy bread into a homentash which I put on my head and danced around with and that got me seven days in the hole followed by 14 days of correcting errors in vanity license plates.
Instead of the megillah, I read the rules of shower cleanliness over and over again to some big gang dude who wanted to learn how to read and that was really fun. I heard he could even read his three yard long criminal record by the time he left Rikers feet first a few weeks ago.
i agree with 5
do not blame litvish or anyone else for speaking the truth.it is absurd and actually stupid to give positive reinforcement to those who have so hurt others in cruel ways.This is the only one thing I cannot applaud chabad for.No regard for victims until Gd forbid one becomes a victim.Then we’ll see how many parties you are willing to throw.child molesters have no soul, fools.that is why they can do what they do! sociopaths have no conscience so we should make nice and party with them.sorry, this is pretty outrageous.no, i do not accept or applaud this.