More than 1,000 residents of Hanover, Germany, turned out for the city’s annual Israel-themed festival, and many stopped by a booth run by the local Chabad-Lubavitch center for information on its Shabbat and holiday services, a Mommy-and-Me program, Sunday school, youth activities and Torah classes in both German and Russian.

According to Rabbi Binyamin Wolff, who brought two rabbinical students to help greet people at the festival – held in a courtyard of an old castle in the northern medieval capital – scores of Jewish men took a break from their day to put on tefillin, some for their first time.

One of those who donned tefillin was a Holocaust survivor who was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Others availed themselves of the kosher food to be had at the booth, and browsed among a selection of Jewish books.

“It is amazing that in such a place, where Jews were tortured in the past, today, they are donning tefillin with pride,” commented Wolff.


A Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical student helps put tefillin on Jewish men at an Israel-themed festival in Hanover, Germany.


More than 1,000 residents turned out for the Sunday event, and many stopped to talk with Rabbi Binyamin Wolff about Jewish programs in the city run by its Chabad-Lubavitch center.


“It is amazing that in such a place, where Jews were tortured in the past, today, they are donning tefillin with pride,” commented Wolff, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Hanover.


The festival took place in the courtyard of a medieval castle.


Among the Jewish men who donned tefillin was a survivor of Auschwitz.