APRIL 14 • 2022 | 63
PASSOVER
T
welve Mitzvah mobile
centers known as
“Mitzvah Tanks” made
their way through Metro
Detroit April 6. The parade,
which was held in Metro
Detroit for the first time, is a
long-running popular sight in
New York City.
Beginning in Oak Park and
traveling down Woodward
Avenue to Downtown Detroit,
the Mitzvah Tanks aimed to
engage the Jewish community
ahead of the Passover holiday
and to inspire the act of doing
mitzvahs, or good deeds done
from religious duty.
The day-long program was
put on by Chabad Lubavitch
of Michigan and the Friday
Mivtzoim Boys of Yeshiva
Detroit Zekelman Campus
in Oak Park in honor of the
120th birthday of the famous
late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi
Menachem M. Schneerson,
born on April 12 (a day of
celebration known as Yud Alef
Nissan).
“It was just exciting energy,”
says Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov,
spiritual director of The Shul
- Chabad Lubavitch in West
Bloomfield. “There was a ter-
rific response from members
of the community.”
The parade launched at Oak
Park’s Lubavitch Yeshiva and
later split up to 12 locations,
including West Bloomfield,
Farmington Hills, Troy, Royal
Oak and more. There, Mitzvah
Tank representatives handed
out Passover essentials like
matzvah, helped with tefillin
wraps and got to know mem-
bers of Metro Detroit’s Jewish
community and beyond.
“Many packets for the
Passover seder were passed
out,” Shemtov says. “People
were interested in hearing how
to go about their seder, and
many took down information
to be able to go to a public
seder. There were all different
levels of engagement.”
A LONGSTANDING
TRADITION
Even though April 6 saw
rain and cold in Michigan,
the event was still a suc-
cess. Mitzvah Tanks (a term
coined by the Rebbe) were
first launched in 1974. The
longstanding tradition cen-
ters around the motto of “a
mitzvah on the spot for peo-
ple on the go,” a practice that
can sometimes be difficult
to maintain in today’s busy
world.
Mitzvah Tanks, however,
give people a chance to slow
down and reflect on Jewish
values, cultures and traditions.
They also offer a positive,
inspirational alternative to
tanks seen in today’s world,
Mitzvah Tanks roll through Metro
Detroit, offering cheer and Passover
essentials.
Passover
Parade
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
One of the “Friday Boys”
engages a passerby.
A parade of Mitzvah
Tanks heads down
Woodward Avenue
in Detroit.
BELOW: The caravan
began in Oak Park.
THE SHUL
continued on page 64