Israeli supermarket magnate Rami Levy gives hundreds of tefillin sets to European Jews who cannot buy sets for themselves.

Yoni Kempinski , 03/06/20 17:30

Businessman Rami Levy, who runs the supermarket chain which bears his name, will donate tefillin sets to European Jews who cannot buy tefillin themselves.

According to details published by the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, every Jew who does not have a talit (prayer shawl) and tefillin can apply through the rabbi of his community to the Rabbinical Centre of Europe and receive a tefillin set as a gift.

The tefillin sets will cost a total of NIS 1 million and will be given to every community which applies on behalf of Jews who do not yet have a talit or tefillin.

The donations will, for the time being, be limited to just two sets of tefillin per community to prevent hoarding and to ensure that the sets will go to those who need them. The tefillin sets will be distributed to European Jews only after the majority of the community declares up to two members of its community are in need of tefillin, and they are obliged to put them on them every day.

Businessman Rami Levy joined the distribution of tefillin in response to the request of Rabbi Aryeh Goldberg, CEO of the European Rabbinical Center, who initiated the project in memory of the late Rabbi Benjamin Wolf, the rabbi of the community of Hanover, Germany, who died about a month and a half ago from the coronavirus.

Rami Levy has a long-standing relationship with the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, and he also played a significant part in donating to Bar Mitzvah campaigns initiated by the Center to bring boys to Israel for their 13th birthday.

Rabbi Goldberg’s appeal to Rami Levy was joined by Rabbi Maimon Avitan, Rabbi of the Rami Levy Network, who advised the businessman to take part in this unique and rare mitzvah, thus embarking on the historic division of free pairs of tefillin for European Jews.

Source: Arutz Sheva