Mobile Mitzvah Centers’ most famous and endearing contribution to Israeli life is the fearless, faithful companionship given by the ubiquitous Mitzvah Tanks to Israeli Defense Forces soldiers under fire since the late 60’s.

For decades, the Mitzvah Tanks have enjoyed their well-earned special security clearance to war zones, hostile territory and military bases, spiritually serving their Jewish comrades in arms—often on the front lines, and often literally—throughout Israel’s recent history.

The friendly Chabadniks of the Mitzvah Tanks bring the mitzvot of tefillin, prayer, and Shabbat candles, the exhilaration and joy of the Jewish holidays, or just coffee and cake, encouraging words and listening ears, to far-flung military outposts from the Lebanese frontier to the Sinai Desert, and everywhere in between.

As former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it, the Mitzvah Tank phenomenon is “the spirit that upholds the sword.”

Utilizing the facilities and command structure of Mobile Mitzvah Centers, cartons brimming with household staples are discreetly left at the doorsteps of struggling families in Upper Nazareth.

Every day in Israel, our 30-foot Mitzvah Tanks are dispatched from their Nazereth headquarters carrying three-man “crews,” two on-board classrooms and libraries, and a full array of religious articles. Each Tank team conducts six classes daily in different cities and neighborhoods throughout Israel.

Mobile Mitzvah Centers also sends experienced teachers to the outlying communities during evening hours to lead adult education classes. Together, Mobile Mitzvah Centers’ Jewish educational programming annually services communities throughout Israel. Before the onset of the sacred Shabbat, or the Yom Tov (holiday), our Tanks travel to kibbutzim, moshavim and settlements at which they spend the Sabbath or holiday.

Local halls are temporarily transformed into synagogues, and services filled with singing, learning and a lively atmosphere are conducted, regularly providing these communities with spiritual nourishment and enrichment.

In Upper Nazareth, not too far from its headquarters, Mobile Mitzvah Centers runs the state-of-the-art Center and Ulpan for Russian Immigrants, serving a community of over 2,000 New Israelis in the surrounding area with food, clothing and education.

In times of crisis, the Mitzvah Tank is there. When the IDF liberated Lebanon from our evil enemies, the Mitzvah Tank was there, leading the second wave right behind the first tanks. Battle photos from the day’s news media show our beloved Mitzvah Tank on the tarmac of the freshly freed Beirut Airport, its stalwart staffers wrapping tefillin on the arms of their brothers in arms.

When Scud-fisted hatred of Saddam Hussein pulverized Israeli homes, the Mitzvah Tank was there, right on the street, lending support and strength.

And when terrorists strike Israel’s heart, the Mitzvah Tank is there to console and fortify Israel’s soul.