1000 Visit New York City Shuls

By COLlive reporter

More than 1,000 Lubavitch Chassidim and Bochurim, young Yeshivah students, walked for hours on Shvi-i Shel Pesach in the traditional Tahaluchos/Marches to Shuls in the New York Metropolitan area.

Many of the participants in the marches were guests from all over the world who were visiting New York for Pesach.

They walked, up to 3 hours each way, from Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights to over 200 Shuls in the Bronx (3 hours), Boro Park, Flatbush, Brighton Beach, Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, Canarsie, Brooklyn Heights, Mill Basin, Sea Gate (2.5 hours), Howard Beach, Queens (3 hours) and Manhattan.

The marchers shared the Rebbe’s inspirational messages for Pesach that each person is obligated to experience their own “Yetzias Mitzrayim” – going out of Egypt, as “Mitzrayim” stands for “Boundries and limitations” of all kinds, which each person can experience on all levels.

“There is a great merit in participating in the Tahaluchos about which the Rebbe said, ‘This matter is my own’ and upon another occasion stated, ‘I envy all those who went [on the Tahalucha]’ and the Rebbe himself would walk out of his room and escort the marchers from the entrance of 770,” said Rabbi Shmuel Butman, Director, Lubavitch Youth Organization, which organizes the marches.

“This was indeed a great and cherished moment when the ‘Commander in Chief’ left his room to personally ‘see off his troops’ and these dedicated soldiers who went on the Tahaluchos are continuing the work of the Rebbe,” said Rabbi Butman.

The Lubavitch Youth Organization (Tzeirei Agudas Chabad Hamerkozis) continues and expands these efforts. Indeed new Shuls were added to the Tahalucha. This Pesach over 200 Shuls in the New York Metropolitan area were visited.

This year a “Tahalucha Kovetz” which includes the Sichas – (Talks) of the Rebbe as well as special specific expressions concerning Tahalucha was printed in Hebrew and English and distributed. This inspired many to participate in the Tahaluchos.

The activity was organized by Rabbi Yossi Butman, Project Director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization and coordinated by Rabbi Yosef Goldwasser and Avrohom Raichik.

The Tahaluchos-Marches have become part of Jewish life in the New York Metropolitan area. Before Yom Tov many Rabbis also called the offices of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, or sent emails, to make sure that Chabad Lubavitch representatives should come to their Shuls to help them celebrate the Yom Tov of Freedom.

The entire Tahaluchos-Marches project was conducted with the specific coordination with New York City Police Department. “It was a pleasure to work with them” said Rabbi Yossi Butman, “They exhibited extraordinary sensitivity and efficiency and we are looking forward to work with NYPD in the future.”

This Pesach in one of the biggest Shuls several individuals wanted to leave after Mincha, and the Rabbi of the Shul told them “You don’t know what your missing.”

In another shul, people held the speakers back from going home after Maariv in order to make certain that they understood the message well. “You truly enhanced the Simchas Yom Tov in our Shul,” said one Shul President.