Chabad Volunteers Facilitate First-Time Tefillin Wrapping for Jewish Fans After World Cup Final in New Jersey

Following the World Cup final held at the stadium in New Jersey, a group of eight Chabad yeshiva students from the global Chabad center at 770 set up two tefillin booths outside the venue. Their goal was to engage Jewish attendees in the mitzvah of laying tefillin. After the match ended and tens of thousands of fans began exiting, the volunteers spread out to find Jewish individuals among the crowd.

At the main booth alone, the Chabad volunteers helped over 50 Jews from around the world put on tefillin. A particularly moving moment occurred when they met a Jewish man in his 50s from Argentina who had never laid tefillin before. Despite language barriers, the volunteers assisted him in performing the ritual, effectively celebrating a delayed bar mitzvah. The group then sang "David Melech Yisrael" and "Am Yisrael Chai," drawing more Jewish fans to join and participate.

Shortly thereafter, another younger Jewish man from Argentina also experienced laying tefillin for the first time. Mendel Goldberg, one of the volunteers, described the event as an "incredible and unforgettable Jewish operation," noting they remained active until sunset. The initiative turned the area outside the stadium into a vibrant Jewish celebration, highlighting the spiritual significance for many attendees beyond the soccer match itself.