After a panelist on Israeli TV said he would “choke” the shliach with tefillin, Rabbi Menachem Chamami announced a powerful response: ‘Chiyucho Shel Yeled’ will now double its distribution of tefillin to orphaned boys, choosing light over hate.
By Anash.org reporter
Just a day after a media panelist sparked outrage by saying he would “choke” the Shliach with tefillin for distributing them to orphans, Rabbi Menachem Chamami of the Chiyucho Shel Yeled organization announced a powerful response: the campaign will now double its tefillin distribution. “Darkness is chased away by light,” he said.
The incident occurred during a broadcast on Channel 13’s program War Zone, hosted by Baruch Kra. A segment was aired about Chiyucho Shel Yeled, which provides tefillin sets to orphaned boys as part of year-round bar mitzvah celebrations. To date, the organization has distributed over 460 sets.
The campaign video was aired deliberately to provoke criticism. The panel discussion that followed took a clearly negative tone, with panelist Miki Rosenthal making a shocking comment: “I’d choke him with the tefillin,” repeating the threat and even miming the act. Although host Baruch Kra immediately rebuked him, Rosenthal refused to apologize, sparking widespread outrage.
In his first public response, Rabbi Chamami said: “We chose to respond with light. Today we’re announcing a doubling of our tefillin distribution to orphans. The saying ‘a little light dispels much darkness’ applies now more than ever.”
Rabbi Chamami added: “We were pained by the hateful remark, but it won’t stop us. We’ve had the zechus to accompany orphaned children for years, and we’ve seen how these tefillin sets truly illuminate their lives – both spiritually and emotionally – connecting them to our eternal heritage.”
Growing up in a traditional Jewish home, there were mitzvos we observed regularly and others that were less familiar to us. As a child, I remember watching my father put on tefillin each morning. It always struck me—how did my father, who lost his parents at the age of eight, come to fulfill this mitzvah so devotedly?
The answer is both simple and profound: there was an organization that provided tefillin to orphans, ensuring that my father could take part in this cherished mitzva. Years later, when I turned thirteen, my father bought me my own pair of tefillin. Only after that did he purchase a new, upgraded set for himself.
I am deeply grateful—not only for the gift of tefillin but for the appreciation of this mitzvah that my orphaned father passed down to me. Thank you to those who made it possible for him, and for me, to connect to this Mitzva.