They say, it’s not a sprint but a marathon.
That saying certainly is true for Chabad of Kiryat Ha’leom and Jerusalem Gateway’s Rabbi Yosef Chaim Friedman, the architect of a massive effort to give runners in the Jerusalem marathon, which took place earlier this month, the opportunity to lay tefillin before and after the race.
As the sun rose in Jerusalem on April 4, Friedman and some 30 volunteers gathered at the city’s Sacher Park and set up tefillin stands for runners to get a spiritual boost before embarking on the ambitious 26.2-mile run.
Volunteers spread out across five points along the race. Each stand had four to six volunteers, each with a pair of tefillin in hand.
The stands located at the start line were the most popular, where hundreds gathered for a moment of prayer and connection before the race began. The group worked quickly and prayed with some 30 to 40 men an hour. While Friedman didn’t count exactly how many men laid tefillin that morning, he estimates it was at least 1,200.
While Friedman had worked alongside the city’s marathons in the past, this was the first time he did so on such a massive scale.
Approximately 40,000 runners participated in the 2025 Jerusalem Marathon, marking a record-breaking turnout for the event. Participants included around 1,800 international runners from more than 50 countries and approximately 15,000 members of the Israel Defense Forces, reservists, police officers and emergency responders.
As such, hundreds of men from across the religious spectrum lined up to don the holy leather straps. Friedman often saw one man bring with him a few of his friends, and even the ones who were initially reluctant eventually decided to take part in the mitzvah.
“I saw families, groups of soldiers and runners representing dozens of organizations—they all were excited to see us there,” he recalled. “It really was something, there wasn't even a moment of peace when the tefillin stopped being used. People were waiting in line for us. This was something they really wanted.”
A Meaningful Moment in Tough Times
In the anxious weeks before the outbreak of the Six-Day War in 1967, the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, began a campaign to encourage Jewish men and boys to put on tefillin. The call quickly took hold, and activists could soon be found at stations around the world encouraging Jewish passersby to wrap tefillin, even visiting homes and businesses to make it easier for people to do the mitzvah. The campaign became the first of the Rebbe’s 10 Mitzvah Campaigns, and in the decades since, more and more people are heeding the Rebbe’s call to help others put on and pray in tefillin.
Friedman says that many of those who put on tefillin the morning of the marathon probably surprised themselves by their willingness. He attributes non-religious Israelis slowly dipping their toes into the spiritual pool as part of the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023—a day that shook the entire country to its core.
“People are waking up. They’re asking questions. They want to connect. Something special is happening to us now. There’s a very strong awareness of the need for spirituality now. I often encounter people who haven't laid tefillin for decades, and suddenly, they come to us and want to do something to bring them closer to G‑d,” he said.
In addition to tefillin, volunteers also passed around hundreds of Shabbat candles to women as well. Those, too, were well-received, and the Chabad team was able to distribute every single candle they had on hand.
Friedman is already looking forward to his next initiative, which will be Jerusalem Day on May 26, which complements his already busy schedule.
“We have a very vibrant community in Kiryat Ha’leom,” Friedman said of his neighborhood, which is home to many government institutions like the Supreme Court and the Knesset. “We’ve visited 13 medical centers helping wounded soldiers, we’ve distributed many 500 NIS vouchers for food to some 300 soldiers, and we always try to be a source of comfort during these very complicated times.”
“This is the Rebbe’s vision, and it’s a vision that is connected to defending the Jewish people,” explained the rabbi. “When a Jew puts on tefillin, he is showing the world that despite that, we are unbowed and unafraid, and that we have G‑d’s protection.”
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