When Jordan Rockowitz, z”l, passed away in August at just 57, it was an enormous shock to his family, friends and his Fair Lawn community. During the shiva and weeks afterward, the family came to learn how many lives Jordan had touched. His son Matan, 22, shared with The Jewish Link, “The masses of people who came to be menachem avel confirmed what I had
always known to be true—that my father was a true hidden tzadik.”

As the shloshim approached, Matan was struggling to find a way to stay connected to his father when his friend Danny, who is involved with The Tefillin Project, suggested he raise funds for the organization, l’ilui nishmat his father, Yosef ben Mendel Halevi, z”l. The Tefillin Project “gives free pairs of tefillin to Jews who never received a pair of their own … we also plan a big event for the giveaway … creating an incredibly special moment that the recipient will remember for the rest of his life,” according to their website. This idea felt like a perfect fit to Matan: “This was a genuine gift from Hashem to me, since my father always described himself as a Chabad chasid in disguise.”

In fact, Jordan had been a baal teshuva, only finding his way to Judaism in his mid-to-late 20s, and putting on tefillin for the first time when he was close to 28 years old. He had a special appreciation for tefillin, and his son remembers him saying that the first day he put them on was the day his life really began. Matan was deeply affected by this sentiment—that his father, whom he so looked up to, was so profoundly impacted by this mitzvah—and the idea of maintaining the link between his father and tefillin really resonated with him.

The “Tefillin for Yosef” project got underway, with Matan spreading the word among friends and family, casting a wide net in his fundraising efforts. He set a high goal and was astounded by the response. He was even more thrilled when that goal was met and exceeded, with those efforts raising $70,000, translating to 78 pairs of tefillin.

Working with The Tefillin Project’s database of Jewish men looking to take on this mitzvah, the first two giveaways were planned for Parshat Vayeira. In coordination with the J Internship and Shaar programs, which were hosting a shabbaton in the Five Towns, Matan arranged to include a tefillin giveaway at their Motzei Shabbat melave malka.

As the crowd dined on pizza, pasta and ice cream, Matan spoke about his father, the inspiration for the Tefillin for Yosef project. When it was time to distribute the tefillin, “Myself, my cousin Ovadya and Danny Carr gave the recipients access to real sustenance—their first pair of tefillin! Each guy had an opportunity to speak about what this gift meant to them, and the joy, excitement and hakaras hatov they had for my father after hearing about him was palpable,” said Matan.

In a particularly moving moment, one of the tefillin recipients, Reuben, echoed Jordan’s words, telling Matan, “I want to thank you and more so your father; the way he impacted you means that I get a new start. My life begins tomorrow—just like it did for your dad.”

The excitement of the evening wasn’t over yet, as Matan and his friends had brought an extra pair of tefillin just in case. When they told the audience to reach out if they are ever interested in starting to wear tefillin, a young man named Ethan stood up and announced he was looking for a new mitzvah to take on after recently starting to keep Shabbos, on the advice of his Chabad rabbi. “We unanimously agreed that Ethan would be the surprise third giveaway of the night,” Matan said. “His excitement was so evident in his smile. I feel this is the most meaningful way to connect to and honor my father, especially because he too was a baal teshuva.”

The Tefillin for Yosef project still has 75 pairs of tefillin to distribute, with giveaways planned in Florida, Los Angeles, England, Germany, Canada, St. Louis and more. To nominate a candidate—or yourself—for this special gift, go to thetefillinproject.co and apply.

Donations are still being accepted at https://thechesedfund.com/thetefillinproject/tefillinforyosef