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

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