‘Mitzvah Mobiles’ part of pre-Passover parade
A caravan of eight “Mitzvah Mobiles” from the Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois circled Daley Plaza on Tuesday morning as religious music blared, kids smiled and horns honked to signal the 27th annual pre-Passover parade.
“It’s a special, special holiday for all of us,” Schnuer Yarmove told the Chicago SunTimes. “We have the privileges to celebrate our religion without anyone telling us what and how to do it, and we take advantage of that and celebrate together, collaborate together and move forward with strength.”
Passover, which begins before sundown on April 22 and ends after nightfall on April 30, commemorates the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt and the “passing over” of God’s forces of destruction, sparing the Israelites’ firstborn.
The message of the holiday is one of freedom and liberation, from both external power and internal struggles. Passover celebrations include a Seder, or ritual dinner, during the first two nights. The retelling of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt happens during Seder.
The Seder includes reading, drinking four cups of wine, telling stories, eating special foods like matzah and bitter herbs, singing and other Passover traditions.
Yarmove fondly remembers going to the Caribbean to help put together a Seder event for a couple of hundred people as part of Passover.
“That was amazing to see so many people coming and celebrating together,” said Yarmove, 22.
On Tuesday in Daley Plaza, as music continued to blare from the vans, over a dozen children danced with each other on the sidewalk and conversed with passersby as they looked to hand out special Passover Shmurah Matzah to any Passover observers.
“We’re here to spread the holiday joy,” said Levi Moscowitz, junior rabbi and parade coordinator with Lubavitch Chabad.
The parade was held on the same day the Anti-Defamation League Midwest released data showing a 74% increase in antisemitic incidents in Illinois from 2022 to 2023.
“We can’t be scared,” Moscowitz said. “We’re not running away, and we’re sharing that joy with whoever we meet out in the streets of Chicago.”