Jewish leaders in NYC prepare for Passover with annual "Mitzvah Tank" parade
Thousands of Jewish families across New York City are cleaning, baking matzo and preparing for a parade on Wednesday as they get ready for Passover.
"We're bringing the synagogue to them"
Inside Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Crown Heights, close to three dozen student volunteers are packing boxes of matzo and massive bags of candles. It's part of a multi-day effort to deliver thousands of holiday treats across the city.
"If our vision for the world is a world of peace and goodness, we have to teach that to the youth. We can't just rely on the core subjects that are taught in our classroom, but we actually have to teach goodness and kindness. And what better way is there than by example?" said Rabbi Shmuel Turk, principal at the school.
Thousands of boxes will be loaded into 75 RVs getting a temporary makeover to become "mitzvah tanks" that spread good deeds. The decorated RVs are set to hit the road for an annual vehicle parade on Wednesday, kicking off in Crown Heights at 11 a.m. and heading to Manhattan before dispersing across the five boroughs.
"Usually people go to synagogue. We're bringing the synagogue to them, and we're bringing in a unique way," said Rabbi Mordy Hirsch, executive director at the Mitzvah Tank Organization.
His organization executes many similar "traveling synagogues" nationwide throughout the year.
The Passover Mitzvah Tank Parade is a tradition that dates back to 1974. The goal is to spread awareness about Passover and deliver holiday necessities to various Jewish communities across the city.
"We're giving out 25,000 individually wrapped matzas to the masses and that hopefully will ignite them to remember the heritage that we come from and to have that faith that things are going to be good and the world will be safe. There will be peace in this world," Hirsch said.
Chai Lifeline aims to help families in need for Passover
All along Kingston Avenue, residents are bustling in preparation for the holiday, which involves robust spring cleaning and specialty meal preparation.
It's a task that can be daunting for families dealing with other challenges. That's the reason workers from Chai Lifeline are spending this week packing hundreds of boxes of tableware, toys and holiday necessities to be delivered to families where a child is battling an illness.
"We have meals, dinners for the kids so that the parents can have a little bit easier at home. We do financial assistance, cleaning. We have people help clean in the home. We have a car cleaning," said Yehudah Zellermaier, New York Regional Director at Chai Lifeline.
Workers say their efforts aim to help those spending Seders in the hospital or traveling for medical procedures, to provide a sense of normalcy.
"Getting everyone ready for any family, it's challenging. And for families that the mother or father is out in the hospital with the child, it makes it almost impossible to deal with. So we try to ease their burdens," said Bracha Mandel, the nonprofit's program director.
The holiday of unleavened bread celebrates the exodus of Jews from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins at sundown on Saturday.
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