A growing number of teenage boys from across Israel have recently shown interest in acquiring tefillin and having them made available in schools, following a controversy at a Ramat Gan school where a student was suspended for putting on tefillin.
In response to this surge in interest and numerous inquiries, Tze’irei Chabad has launched a new initiative to place tefillinin educational institutions throughout Israel, making sure that any student who desires to do so can easily fulfill the mitzvah.
The program includes setting up “tefillin stations” in schools and distributing pamphlets that explain how to put on tefillin along with the necessary tefillos. These efforts are being carried out with the full permission and cooperation of the schools’ administrators. Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries from all over Israel are accepting donations of tefillin and ensuring that they are made available to students throughout the country, from the north to the south.
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Aharonov, chairman of Tze’irei Chabad, reflected on the turn of events, saying, “From bitterness, we received sweetness. Precisely out of an attempt to prevent young people from laying tefillin, we saw how thousands of youth are awakening, asking to pray and connect to their Judaism. This is an awakening the likes of which we have not seen for years.”
Rabbi Aharonov noted that it was the students themselves who initiated the movement, beginning with requests, then demands, and eventually taking action to obtain tefillin.
The impact on the ground has already been significant. Students are organizing davening groups during recess, parents have expressed their support, and even teachers are becoming involved in the initiative.
“This is not just another project,” one Chabad-Lubavitch emissary explained. “This is a real need of this generation, which is looking for something to hold onto.”
{Matzav.com Israel}The post With Schools’ Support, Hundreds of Pairs of Tefillin Distributed to Israeli Schools first appeared on Matzav.com.