“And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house, and upon your gates.”

Chabad Lubavitch of the Poconos has launched a region-wide mezuzah campaign. Rabbi Mendel Bendet, director of Chabad of the Poconos, stated, “We have dedicated ourselves to promoting the mezuzah to the Jewish community.”

In 1974, the Rebbe launched a global mezuzah campaign, which sparked a renaissance in mezuzah observance worldwide. Since then, tens of thousands of faded, unfit mezuzot have been discovered and replaced, and several hundred thousand new mezuzot have been affixed in Jewish homes.

To commemorate 50 years since the Lubavitcher Rebbe announced his mezuzah campaign, Rabbi Bendet decided, “Over the next six months we are raising ‘mezuzah awareness’ throughout the Poconos.”

We know many people who live/work in the tri-state area and have a second home in the Poconos. “These are friends who are an important part of our organization,” stated Bendet, and he is certain there are others in the community they have not yet met.

Rabbi Bendet emphasized that many people in their community are second homeowners. He asserted:“Some things are more suited to people’s primary places of residence, while others are more flexible and can go either way. But one thing is clear: If there is a door, as even a vacation home has, there should be a mezuzah.”

He noted: “A unique opportunity that we’ve identified over the years of being in a place where people don’t live primarily, is that Jewish people of all levels of observance and knowledge have responded and taken very positively to increasing their Jewish education and engagement, while they are in a more relaxed atmosphere and environment. We are attempting to utilize this potential as best we can.

“Checking our mezuzot and putting up new ones will help to strengthen the security of our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land,” the rabbi added, recalling that the Lubavitcher Rebbe launched his campaign 50 years ago to help Israel’s security. “The same holds true now,” Rabbi Bendet said. The idea of maximizing the intent to take on a good deed by not just talking about it, but doing something, came to him right after October 7, 2023.

It took a while to get the mezuzah campaign off the ground but now they are running with it. “I am particularly excited about this mezuzah campaign,” Rabbi Bendet said. “All mitzvot are special. But this one excites me because it can potentially involve the entire family and has the staying power to inspire again and again.”

The rabbi proposed using their day camp, a captive audience, as one medium to promote the campaign. He suggested they use the media and through the camp, access families to connect with parents and grandparents.

Launching the Poconos mezuzah campaign in winter, Rabbi Bendet anticipates that “it will only reach full speed come spring/summer, which is our big season.” He added, “Our day camp, which attracts children from the entire region, will focus on the mezuzah.”

Rabbi Bendet termed it “a beautiful miracle” that they have 10 couples who are educators from Chabad, not pulpit rabbis, off for the chagim, who dedicated themselves to outreach over the summer. “It’s a very perfect fit: They recruit from people they’re connected to. It’s the right balance, with opportunities connected to learning and growth, and it has been a blessing.”

“Chabad Yeshiva students are always a blessing,” Rabbi Bendet added. “They will come down and get doors open.” While most other camps in the area are self-contained, he wants to present strategies to them for extending the mezuzah campaign.

Campers from the tri-state area, and even Philadelphia, range in age, from 6 to 13. The numbers keep growing, and last summer they had over 200 campers on the grounds in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. This summer, arts and crafts counselors will focus on mezuzah projects geared to suitable ages.

“Many more Jewish families have found homes in the Poconos since the COVID pandemic,” Rabbi Bendet observed. “While on vacation people are more open to things than in the normal grind. Some campers’ families have second homes in the Poconos, while others stay with their grandparents, many of whom have immigrated from Russia.”

In promoting the mezuzah awareness campaign, Bendet explained: “We are here and ready to serve everyone with their mezuzah needs. In that regard, we’ll be giving people the opportunity to have their mezuzot checked by a scribe. We want a kosher mezuzah on each Jewish door.”

Additionally, the mezuzah campaign will make available and offer free installation of new mezuzot at Jewish-owned area residences and places of business. For more information, call or text “Rabbi Mendel” at 570-350-1888.

Sharon Mark Cohen, MPA, believes everyone deserves a legacy. Follow her at sharonmarkcohen.com.