Honk if you love the Rebbe, New York!
66 'Mitzvah Tanks' draw curious stares and impatient honks as they travel Manhattan's streets to mark the 114th birthday of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe
Manhattan traffic didn’t exactly come to a standstill (as promised, ominously, by the event’s organizers). But 66 Chabad-Lubavitch “Mitzvah Tanks” did draw curious stares and some impatient honks as they traveled city streets in celebration of the 114th birthday of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe.
The convoy of RVs left from Chabad headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Tuesday morning, crossing the Manhattan Bridge and crawling up 6th Avenue to Central Park and back down 5th Avenue.
The 66 vehicles mark the number of years since Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson succeeded his father-in-law as leader of the Chabad Hasidic movement. Schneerson died in 1992, but is still revered by Jews around the world.
Twitter users documented much of the trip.
Individual Mitzvah Tanks are a familiar sight in New York City, staffed by Chabad men and boys offering Jewish passersby the opportunity to perform a mitzvah, including providing tefillin for men to don and handing out Shabbat candles for women. Following the parade, the “tanks” scattered throughout the city, offering matzahs and brochures about celebrating the upcoming Passover holiday.