To help raise money for his annual Hanukkah charity telethon, Anchelle Perl, Lubavitch emissary to the Long Island, N.Y., town of Mineola, has taken a page from Evel Knievel’s handbook.

Alongside performances by the band Shlock Rock and the so-called “Dancing Rabbis,” Perl will take a turn as history’s first Hasidic “stunt man” in an effort to raise money for causes sponsored by the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education, whose Long Island branch he heads.

Though Perl will not be shot out of a cannon, he will ride onstage on a Harley Davidson and show video clips of himself racing an Aston Martin sports car along Jones Beach (and getting pulled over by a police officer), putting on tefillin in a hot-air balloon and fishing for money in a Dumpster.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I’m probably one of the most frustrated marketers of Jewish life there is,” Perl said. “I always try to think outside the box. I wear a black hat, a beard, the whole nine yards. This is the one time of year we can bring joy, simcha, in an appropriate manner to everybody.”

Still not clear what motorcycles have to do with Hanukkah?

“There are physical candles, but we are also in the business of lighting up souls,” Perl said. “We all have oil and a wick; sometimes we just need a spark.”

The event will air December 10, live at 7 p.m., on Long Island’s channel 55, WLNY-TV.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount