The Rabbi Turning Restored Tefillin Into a Lifelong Wartime Mission
Rabbi Eyal Amichai has distributed over 1,500 refurbished pairs of tefillin since the war began, sparking an unprecedented spiritual awakening across Israel and worldwide.
Since the outbreak of the war, Rabbi Eyal Amichai has turned the distribution of tefillin into a life-defining mission. What started 25 years ago as a modest initiative to provide pairs of tefillin to young people attending his classes in Jerusalem has now grown into a massive national and international enterprise, with over 1,500 pairs of tefillin refurbished and distributed.
A Lifelong Mission Sparked by Wartime Awakening
Rabbi Amichai recalls that his work began when young men attending a class in a Jerusalem pub expressed a desire to lay tefillin. Lacking the funds to buy new sets, he connected with a scribe who offered to restore old, unused tefillin at cost. For years, this remained a side project alongside his primary role as a yeshiva teacher. However, the outbreak of the war changed everything, triggering an unprecedented wave of requests from soldiers, families, and secular Israelis seeking a deeper connection to their heritage.
"This is an endless stream, people are asking more and more to put on tefillin. It is unbelievable," Rabbi Amichai shares with deep emotion.
Restoring Old Tefillin for New Beginnings
The project relies heavily on donations from the ultra-Orthodox community, where families often hold onto unused sets of tefillin left by elders. Rabbi Amichai meticulously restores these pairs to absolute perfection, ensuring they find a second life. Recipients must commit to laying tefillin daily—a strict condition that has led to profound personal transformations, including soldiers returning from Gaza and secular youth discovering their faith.
Impact Beyond Borders
The demand stretches far beyond Israel's borders, with sets shipped to Jewish communities in Los Angeles, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, and Germany. Whether distributed at schools following the memory of fallen youth or delivered to wounded soldiers, the project highlights a powerful spiritual awakening across the Jewish nation.
