Even the most prepared of Boy Scouts can sometimes use a little help … with donning the prayer boxes known as tefillin, that is.

When tens of thousands of scouts from 168 countries around the world gathered in Rinkaby, Sweden, for the quadrennial World Scouting Jamboree this summer, rabbis from across Europe were there to meet them. They offered Jewish scouts the chance to celebrate their Bar Mitzvahs, learn about Judaism, or simply enjoy a Sabbath meal.

Rabbi Yitzi Loewenthal, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Denmark, led the effort to find Jewish youths who wished to don tefillin, light Sabbath candles or attend makeshift services.

RELATED

But when Loewenthal arrived with a team from Chabad of Copenhagen laden with kosher meals, it was a 14-year-old boy who scouted out the rabbi.

“As my car pulled into camp and I was getting out, a young boy approached me and asked if I could teach him how to put on tefillin, as he had never done it before. We celebrated his Bar Mitzvah right there on the spot,” recalled Loewenthal. “Afterwards, he said that being at the Jamboree, and especially meeting us, made him want to get his own pair of tefillin.”

Loewenthal coordinated his efforts with Rabbis Shneur Kesselman of Malmo, Sweden, and Alexander Namdar, director of the Goteburg-based Chabad of Sweden, and in cooperation with the International Forum of Jewish Scouts. He also recruited the help of some veteran Scouting rabbis.

Certified scouting chaplains Rabbis Shmuly Gutnick, director of the Chabad Youth Network of Florida, and Menachem Nagar, creative director of the Judaism website Chabad.org, hiked around the campsite looking for Jewish kids to invite for Sabbath celebrations, but also offered doses of spiritual inspiration to anyone they met.

Rabbi Shmuly Gutnick and his colleagues from around the world inspired Jewish scouts during the World Scouting Jamboree.

When the Sabbath arrived that Friday night, hundreds of scouts came together in a makeshift synagogue in a large tent, to sing and dance during the services. Loewenthal distributed specially-prepared Jewish songbooks for the service and songfest that lasted deep into the night.

“For many it was their very first Sabbath experience,” remarked Loewenthal.

On Saturday morning, the group gathered once more to hear the Torah being read and to share a lunchtime meal

After the close of the Sabbath Saturday night, the head of the Israeli delegation of scouts made a special presentation thanking the rabbis for bringing a distinctly Jewish experience to the Jamboree.

Scouts who attended the weekend program or participated in other Jewish activities earned a specially designed achievement award, an embroidered ‘JamboJew’ patch.

“It was wonderful to be able to welcome Shabbat with participants from the whole world,” lauded Peter Hyman, chief chaplain of the American scouting contingent. “I truly appreciate what Chabad did to make Shabbat nice for the Jewish and world communities. They made a very important contribution to Jewish awareness, world unity, and contributed powerfully to a Jewish sense of unity.”