Shmurah Matzah Reaches Remote Jews Across Argentina

By COLlive reporter

More than a thousand Jews living in towns across Argentina without a permanent Shliach ate Shmurah Matzah this Pesach, despite the COVID 19 pandemic.

While the coronavirus is hitting the entire world, many activities are being frozen. That´s the case also in Argentina.

In addition to the Public Sedorim and activities that every Beis Chabad usually holds, MitzvaTank project led by Rabbi Iosef Arie and Sheina Sigaloff on behalf of Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt – head Shliach to Argentina, was arranging 8 Public Sedorim in cities with no local Beis Chabad, doubling last year’s activities (https://collive.com/drove-15-hours-reach-remote-jews/).

The virus came to Argentina, and slowly every public activity was canceled for the public’s health. Moreover, shortly after Purim, a whole-country-scale quarantine was established (in effect still today) leaving the whole country on stand-by.

Nevertheless, MitzvaTank, “Superando Desafíos” (overcoming challenges) following the enormous efforts and achievements of Chabad Argentina HQ to get Shmurah Matzah, started a big campaign to send the handmade Matzah and other Pesach supplies to Jews in those places with no active observant Jewish communal life.

Rabbi Sigaloff told COLlive that the biggest challenge was to find out the best way to send the supplies to each place, with different companies or services, and make sure the Jews actually get them.
There are a few activities that have permission to continue working (food and health supplies, etc) and another option was by mail. But still, Argentina´s mail and shipping services, not the best during regular times, is now in chaos. Many branches have decided not to work and big companies are working only in a few places, or with terrible delays.

“It was also extremely difficult to organize all the logistical work until the shipping, following all the sanitary measures for legal and health purposes,” Rabbi Sigaloff told COLlive.

“Even more so, many Jews, or even entire communities in places where the virus had not come yet, were afraid of receiving packages from Buenos Aires,” he said.

After long conversations and explaining, MitzvaTank shipped more than 300 Matzah Packages to Jews in more than 30 remote cities. More than 1000 Jews at those places ate Shmura Matzah this Pesach, and many of them for the first time of their life – even many who until this year arranged for themselves machine matzah and this year relied on Chabad.

Hundreds of people sent grateful thank you messages (in Spanish)