Melbourne Marks Rebbe’s Birthday

This past Tuesday, Yud Aleph Nissan, Melbourne saw its sixth (in recent years) Mitzvah Tank parade travel throughout its south-eastern suburbs, celebrating the 116th birthday of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, distributing much needed Passover provisions, and bringing the message of the upcoming Passover festival to Jews of all types.

The parade, organized by Chaim Marcus and Ahron Zev Moshel, consisted of 16 brightly decorated Mitzvah tanks (which is the most mitzvah tanks Australia has had), which were prepared by a dedicated team of Bochurim on Monday night, the night preceding the parade. All aspects of the parade, Mitzvah Tanks, and Mivtzoim, were sponsored by members of Melbourne’s own community. Amongst roof-top speakers, posters about Pesach and the Rebbe’s birthday, hundreds of Matzos were packed into the tanks, to be distributed during the parade, and afterwards, when the tanks would split up and travel to densely populated Mivtzoim locations.

At 11:30, 16 Mitzvah Tanks pulled out from the Yeshivah Centre, and began making their way through many busy shopping strips and popular areas, with their rooftop speakers blaring music and turning many heads. Pedestrians waved to the passing parade, some approaching the tanks to receive a matzah-on-the-spot-for-someone-on-the-go. At various intervals, bochurim could be seen dancing around the tanks in pure joy, adding even more happiness to the celebrations.

This year parade organizers arranged a different and unusual tank of an eight-ton truck which was a surprise for the Melbourne community.

After a just over an hour of parading through Melbourne’s streets, the procession reached its finishing location – Melbourne’s very own 770 replica. All participants of the parade piled out for a group photo, and with that, the parade was formally over.

From there, the Mitzvah Tanks were driven to different locations all over the city, where they spent the next three hours distributing hundreds of Matzos, Pesach materials, and Shabbos candles to the masses. Many men laid teffilin, and all were given a chance to do something special in honour of the Rebbe’s birthday.

Mivtzoim locations included the popular Carlisle Street, Glenhuntly Road, Malvern area, Hawthorn Road, Acland Street, and Glenferrie Road, to name a few.
Towards the end of the day, the tanks returned to the Yeshivah Centre, where they were stripped down, and driven back to their rental locations, minutes before closing time.

The parade directors Chaim Marcus and Ahron Zev Moshel, would like to thank all our dedicated drivers they couldn’t have done this project without you.