For my bar mitzvah project I am selling Performance Tzitzit. Performance Tzitzit are t-shirt style and are the same as those worn by the soldiers in the IDF. They’re made out of “moisture wicking” material that moves sweat away from the body to allow it to evaporate easily. As a result, Performance Tzitzit keep people dry and comfortable in warm weather or if they are doing strenuous activity.
For each pair of Performance Tzitzit that you buy, one donated to soldiers in the Israeli Army. The cost for each pair of Performance Tzitzit is $18 and they’re available in sizes for adults (XS, S, M, L, XL) and children (XS, S, M, L, XL). They are available in two colors, either olive-green or white. You must pre-order and pre-pay by March 31 because the tzitzit are being shipped from Israel.
The organization that I will be doing this event with is American Friends of the IDF Rabbinate (AFIDFR) with the help of Lt. Col. Rabbi Yedidya Atlas, Head of Special Projects, IDF Rabbinate. The American Friends of the IDF Rabbinate give much-needed items to the soldiers serving in the IDF that the army is unable to provide. Some examples of the things they supply are Sukkot and mobile Sukkot for the field, arba minim, sifrei Torah, a mobile Aron Kodesh, mobile shuls, siddurim and tehillim, tefillin and tzitzit, plus many more. If a soldier asks for any of these religious items they will receive them free from the AFIDFR. The AFIDFR is always looking out for the needs of the soldiers and works to create unique items for the soldiers’ needs. For example, they created waterproof and protective tefillin cases for the tank division so that the tefillin would not get damaged in the tanks. Similarly, these olive-green Performance Tzitzit were developed for the soldiers to wear comfortably in Israel’s hot weather. The IDF Rabbinate manufactured these tzizit using olive-green fabric because the soldiers are not allowed to wear any white clothing.
During recent IDF operations, many soldiers (religious and non-religious alike) sought out the tzitzit, calling them “the Jewish bulletproof vest.” To learn more about AFIDFR you can check out their website: www.afidr.org
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To order, visit https://tinyurl.com/IDFtzitzit. Pre-payment by cash or check payable to The American Friends of the IDF is required before April 2. Performance Tzitzit are expected to be ready for pickup in late May (in time for summer camp, etc.).
By Ezra Wallach
