3,000 Jewish Teens Gather in Times Square in Prayer and Song

200 Israeli teens lead prayers at gathering from 50 countries

By: Chabad.org Staff

Not even two months ago, as New York City prepared to welcome the secular new year, Mayor Eric Adams voiced the fears of local authorities about the spate of hate-filled anti-Israel protests taking place around Manhattan and one in particular scheduled to take place in Times Square.

Fast forward two months and the iconic square in the middle of midtown Manhattan played host on Saturday night to neither protests nor vitriol, but to the combined voices and joy of 3,000 Jewish teens from around the world, coming together in a collective show of Jewish pride.

In a stirring event after the conclusion of a Shabbat celebration organized by CTeen, the Chabad Teen Network, as part of the CTeen International Shabbaton, Israel was at the top of everyone’s minds. For Dvir, 14, and Harry, 17, who journeyed from Maslul, a moshav in the south of Israel, the bright lights of Times Square provided a welcome glimmer of joy in their otherwise upturned lives.

“Before Oct. 7 it was quiet and calm living in Maslul. But on that day we heard sirens, gunshots, and terrorists.” Dvir told Chabad.org. “Being here with thousands of teens reminds us that we will prevail.”

Maslul, a town just over 10 miles from the Gaza border and lying between Gaza and Ofakim, the furthest location the Hamas terrorists ventured in their rampage on Oct. 7, lies in the hotspot of rocket fire from Gaza. Residents are all too familiar with the sirens and explosions that come with living in their picturesque pocket of Israel’s south.

But it was another kind of sound that lifted the teens’ spirits on Saturday night. For Harry, the highlight was the singing and dancing, surrounded by friends, both from home and those newfound friends from around the world.

It was a timely reminder that he was indeed not alone, that he had the entirety of worldwide Jewry behind him and his family back home.

In an event dubbed “Times Square Takeover” by event organizers, the singing and dancing was interspersed with prayers for the hostages and peace in the Holy Land, with the over 3,000 attendees joined by thousands of onlookers and the over 100,000 people who tuned in via live stream.

“For 15 consecutive CTeen Shabbatons, we’ve echoed the same resounding three words. Tonight, their significance resonates more deeply than ever: Am Yisrael Chai,” declared Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, executive director of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch’s Suite 302 and vice-chairman of CTeen International.

Video presentations highlighting the efforts of CTeen were aired and a live performance from Jewish pop star Gad Elbaz brought the crowd to their collective feet. Prayers for Israel were led by Daniel and Neriya Sharabi, survivors of the Nova Festival Massacre.

Joey, a teen from Calgary, Alta, was thinking about his sister in the IDF throughout the night. “There’s been a lot of anti-Israel protests in Canada where I live but I always wear an ‘I stand with Israel’ or IDF shirt to school. The fact we can come together with pride is really powerful.”

(Chabad.org)