Record Tefillin at Israel Parade

Close to 2,000 Tefillin were wrapped, and hundreds of Yidden signed up for Ois B’sefer Torah and Jnet Chavrusos last Sunday at Israel Day Parade.

Last Sunday 40 Bochurim piled onto 2 mitzvah tanks and headed to the Israel Day Parade.

The Mitzvah Tank Organization, in conjunction with Rabbi Krasnianski of Chabad of Upper East Side, dispatched their Park Ave. Mitzvah Tank and the new Wall St. Mitzvah Tank.

Specially Designed Tshirts for the Tankisten (Bochurim on Tanks) and thousands of “Mitzvah Pledges” and stickers proclaiming “I did a Mitzvah for Israel” were printed for the day. The message that “Israel needs your Mitzvah” was based on the words of the Rambam, oft quoted by the Rebbe, “One should always view the good and evil in himself and in the entire world as being on an equal scale. Should he perform one good deed in thought, speech or action he will tip the scale and bring deliverance and redemption to himself and to the entire world.”

10:30 pm Motzoei Shabbos – a meeting was held at Getzel Shul for all the Tankisten presenting the strategy plan for Sunday’s Mivtzoim at the Parade. With 20 blocks closed off on 5th Ave. and 1 million people on the streets to support Israel, this was an amazing opportunity not to be missed.

9 am Sunday Morning – The Tankisten march out from 770 with a lively dance “from 770 we are marching out… V’hu yolicheinu b’tankim l’artzeinu… Taking chayus for a full day ahead out in the field. As soon as the tanks arrived the bochurim paired up with a chavrusa and were dispatched to their locations along the Avenue. Each had tefillin, a table, Mitzvah Pledges, stickers and Pushkes.

7 pm – Every one was exhausted after a full day of Mivtzoim, but the hard work paid off. The results were amazing; close to 2,000 Tefillin were wrapped, over 100 children registered for Ois B’sefer Torah and 50 new Jnet Chavrusos. Additionally, dozens of men committed to having their Tefillin and Mezuzos checked and many Women to lighting Shabbos candles every week.

Every bochur had stories to tell… “The stickers were so catchy that people came begging for them, but first they had to commit to a mitzvah!” “I got 3 Ois B’sefer Torah with a family from Brazil.” “One of my Mitzvah Pledges wants to buy a pair of Tefillin.”

The Mitzvah Tank Organization, under the auspices of Lubavitch Youth Org. in conjunction with Rabbi Krasnianski of Chabad of Upper East Side, dispatched their Park Ave. Mitzvah Tank and the new Wall St. Mitzvah Tank.