Mivtzoim at MetLife Stadium is Back

On Thursday, the Giants played this year’s first and only weekday preseason game at MetLife stadium.

At the same time- despite the inclement weather and thin preseason crowd- Chabad of the Meadowlands, led by Rabbi Ephraim Balter, launched what will be the third season of Mivtzoim at MetLife- or Tefillin & Tailgate with Chabad. The regular season begins next month, and consists of 17 games over 18 weeks, running until after Chanukah.

[See the full season’s mivtzoim schedule here: https://www.jewishmeadowlands.org/season-schedule-all-games]

For the uninitiated; the Tailgate is a uniquely American and football tradition, which brings tens of thousands of fans to the endless parking lots outside the stadium to eat, drink, hang out, and get in the spirit for up to five hours before game time.

Watch the Shloime Zionce’s documentary on the Tefillin & Tailgate

“I really see this as one of the final frontiers in shlichus and welcoming Moshiach,” says Rabbi Balter. “Before we started this project, the tailgate was a virtually untapped venue for Mivtzoim.  There are hundreds of Yidden here who would never find themselves anywhere near a shul; but they now put on tefillin, or at least have a meeting with their Rabbi several times a year during football season.

“Many completely unaffiliated children of those who were “Three days a year Jews”, are now ‘Jewish’ 8 or 9 times a year at the football stadium!”

The project has an impressive record of growth and success, with nearly 800 tefillin laid last season- 97 for the first time in their lives.

“Our goal this year is to greatly surpass last year’s last year’s numbers. We have another 17 games this season, but being that some are night games- which have less time for tefillin- we’ll have to make up the difference with more action. I encourage everyone to get involved however they can- by participating, supporting, and spreading the word.”

For more information, or to donate or help sponsor the campaign please visit https://www.jewishmeadowlands.org/metlife-stadium/

You can also donate via Cashapp at https://cash.app/$ChabadMeadowlands

Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.