Israelis who were on the streets during Hanukkah likely saw the Chabad ‘mitzvah tanks’, which have become well known on Israel’s streets for their successful activities aimed at bringing the Torah and its commandments closer to people.
The tanks have a mobile synagogue and a study area, and they enable Chabad to bring the spirit of Hanukkah to Israelis wherever they are.
Shlomo Margaliyot, Director of the Chabad Tanks, explained that ‘tanks’ are used because they are an instrument which is used for conquest.
“The term ‘tanks’ was used by the Rebbe because tanks are something that conquers,” he said. “The tanks ‘conquer’ everyone’s hearts, make everyone happy. We are able to get anywhere we want with the tanks, even to places where regular vehicles can’t go.”
Margaliyot said that the tanks also go to IDF bases, where soldiers are given the opportunity to put on tefillin. Children also benefit from the tanks, he added, as afternoon programming for children is held in them.
He added that the public’s response is “very very positive. It makes people happy, especially on Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. It’s heartwarming for us that we can make people happy.”
“The tanks work throughout the year, all over Israel,” Yosef Yitzchak Abelsky told Arutz Sheva. “The point of what we’re doing is to tell everyone that we are ready for mashiach, especially on Hanukkah.”