Every Friday afternoon, Yeshivah Gedolah students visit various members of the Jewish community as part of their outreach activities and community service.
Last Friday, their efforts took a different turn when they approached people in the Bourke Street Mall.
One of the people they met, Michael, later posted his encounter on Facebook:
“When I see the young religious Jewish guys on Fridays in the city, I usually throw a “Shabbat Shalom” their way. They then always ask me to put on Tephiln and say a prayer. My usual response is “sorry fellas, in a rush” (my bad).
Today, after a discussion about Israel turned into an anti-Semitic rant from the old dude who’s never been to Israel (with the sign ‘boycott Israel’), I couldn’t help but tell the religious guys, “sure, I’ll whack on the boxes and chains, no probs”.
“I said the Shema and prayed for peace on Earth. Hatred has no place in our society and no matter what your beliefs, wouldn’t it be a better world if we all promoted peace and love?
#proudjew #lovenothate #boycotthatred
“Those 2 boys are very special boys. My wife who is new to Australia from Israel was very upset seeing that sign in her new home, Melbourne. The boys so gently calmed her and made her feel much better. My wife lost friends in Israel who were very young due to Palestinian terror and her very brave brother has 200 pieces of shrapnel still in his body from the 2006 war in Lebanon. So for her to hear these old men ranting on about firstly Israel, then Jews, it was upsetting for her. I thought there would be no better way than to put on the Tefilin and pray for peace. After the prayers, I then instructed the 2 boys and my wife to walk away with me after the prayer, and not look back at the old ignorant men. The sequence of that, made us all feel so proud to be Jewish, zionists and peace lovers. I have to admit though that it was 15 years since I put on Tefilin. I have always loved Israel, and when I went to live there for 3 years I fell in love with Israel even more. The irony of that Friday afternoon is that 2 of the old men who were yelling at us have never been to Israel. Typical.
Kind regards
Michael”
50 years ago, a few days before the Six Day War in June 1967, The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, launched a world-wide Tefillin Campaign.
To commemorate this historic event, Yeshivah Gedolah students have renewed their efforts and launched a special campaign with a target to encourage 7,770 people to put on Tefillin before the Rebbe’s birthday on 11th Nissan. Nearly 5,000 people around Australia have already put on Tefillin.
It didn’t say the old men were were Jewish. It just said ol men. So not a self-hating Jews.
yay go avraham
He put tefillin that day despite the protest not because he had anything to do with it. Read the story carefully. He actually did a Kiddush Hashem!
Unbelievable!! Love the people ogling in the background and how proud the bochurim look :))
The sign is there, the hate is there!! Aahhh this photo is beyond inspiring! Battling darkness with light. Thanks for sharing, keep up the amazing work!!
Guy’s you are the most awsome keep on with mivtzaim and lighting the world
dont wan to ruin the story
but they werent part of protest they were just passing by
kol hakavod to the bochurim though
#yg
Continue making the Rebbe proud!!
go boruch and avrohom
you guys rock!!!
It wasnt a protest, people happen to sit at that popular corner all the time for diffrent causes. It most probably happened to be they met right in front over there.
But kol Hakavod to the bochrim!!!
Good job keep going
this reminds me of the story in europe, when a leader of a anti-semite/israel group, founnd out he was jewish!!
this just shows on the “hisgalus elokus”
this is days of moshiach!
Wow amazing go Mr gerlitzky!!!!
And then I hope they told him to stop being a self hating jew
Good on you boys- such a koach!!