With both the Jewish High Holy Days approaching and the start of a new Jaguars season, Rabbi Shmuli Novack wanted to do something more than just pray for his favorite team.
Chabad Will Give Free Tickets To High Holidays
With both the Jewish High Holy Days approaching and the start of a new Jaguars season, Rabbi Shmuli Novack wanted to do something more than just pray for his favorite team.
“I’m thinking Jewish new year, Jacksonville Jaguars,” said Novack. “What’s happening? What can we do, what can I do as a rabbi, in our great city, to support our home team the Jacksonville Jaguars?”
What he came up with was giving free Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur tickets to anyone attending services at his synagogue – asking only that they use what they would have spent to buy Jaguars tickets.
“No tickets for services this year. We want you to buy only Jaguars tickets; synagogue tickets are on the house,” said Novack. “Come to the services…pray for the Jaguars but pray for everything important in life, of course.”
And Novack has convinced synagogues in Mandarin, Ponte Vedra and Saint Augustine to join his Chabad of Southside to do the same thing.
It is the kind of community involvement that has moved the Jaguars closer to their goal of avoiding blackouts.
According to Team Teal, the team’s booster group, the Jaguars are now just 3,000 tickets away from guaranteeing no home game is blacked out. The team has sold more 14,000 season tickets to new season ticket buyers.
And the team is also aggressively calling current season ticket holders asking if they know anyone else who would be interested in buying tickets.
And for the Jewish New Year, Novack said he can think of no better way to start it off than with a successful Jaguars season. “We have to step up and support our home team and support our city.”
The Southside Chabad website has its entire services schedule.
What am I missing?
Why should anyone send you a donation? Send it to the NFL?!
During Elul and Tishrei, you ask your people to send $ to a cause outside Tzedkah? Please tell me that I am watching a video from Bizzarro world!
Huh?
Arup fun Zinnin!
lost in CA
Shmuli,
You’re a traitor! We were raider fans in LA and u abandoned us! (actually the Traiders abandoned us first)
Hatzlacha Rabba on your shlichus, you’re a source of much nachas for yocheved and chuck!
Chossid
What a kiddush Hashem. I’m sure the Rebbe is shepping big-time nachas.
Yes, sarcasm intended.
feiffer
wassabigdeal you idiots! he is getting the word out for Tishrei. Do think a shliach is gonna turn away donations?
aaa
He is doing this to get a bigger crowd. Chabad doesnt charge for holiday seats either way….
agree with rabbi novak
if this is the way he is able to connect to the yidden in jackonsville than so be it. The people in jackonsville are die hard fans , their whole life is about the nfl, and it is a very good way to bring in yidden closer to chabad. Stop being close minded, and open ure minds to reality!
To all the bashers
…in case you didn’t get it it seems like everyone in the area is worried about the team…Shmully seems to be sympathizing with the people and at the same time letting them know that Chabad is open for them to come….
You won’t get anyone to shul or to donate by saying, “just give us your money” people support you when they believe in your cause and when they know that you care about them and what’s important to them.
dont lose focus
our hometeam is chasiddim…our city is jerusalem!