Since the earliest years of the Rebbe’s Nesius, the Rebbe encouraged Chassidim to share Shmurah Matzah with fellow Jews for their Pesach sedarim.
In 5714 (1954), days before Pesach, the Rebbe sent a letter to Mr. Zalman Shazar with three Matzos, explaining that “it is our custom to send Shmurah Matzah to friends and relatives.”
This practice has since been incorporated into the Sefer Haminhogim and has become an integral element of the Rebbe’s mivtzoim.
For decades, Rabbi Shmuel Butman, director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, conducted an extensive matzah distribution campaign with remarkable dedication.
He often recalled the early Tzach initiatives that provided matzah to US servicemen during the Vietnam era and subsequently to college students and Jewish communities throughout New York.
A focal point of this campaign has been visiting major Jewish organizations in New York, where staff members receive Shmurah Matzah before Pesach.
These organizations include the UJA, Israel Bonds, the Israel consulate, and the JFNA.
This year, the annual campaign continued, successfully reaching over 1,000 Jews across the city.
The UJA particularly commended the special effort to distribute Shmurah matzah to Holocaust survivors participating in their UJA program.
A highlight of this year’s campaign was visiting Israel’s Representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, who fondly remembered Rabbi Shmuel Butman from his previous UN term.
Ambassador Danon expressed his appreciation to Rabbi Butman’s sons Rabbis Velvl and Yosef Y. Butman, encouraging them to continue their father’s meaningful work in remembering the consulate staff and his unwavering commitment to a strong and secure Eretz Yisroel.
