The New York City Jewish community honored the birthday of their rabbi and the coming of the Passover holiday with a parade Thursday.

Neighbors cheered from the vans and on the sides of the street as mitzvah tanks headed down Eastern Parkway, a tradition that goes back 20 years.

“These mitzvah tanks are the idea that just like war is all around, these tanks are the opposite of the war. We are trying to combat that with goodness and kindness," says Moshe New, a public relations organizer for the parade.

Another symbol of goodness and kindness for the Jewish community is their rebbe, who passed away in 1994 and became grand rabbi in 1951 - serving for nearly 43 years. Today serves as an early celebration of his 121st birthday, which officially falls on Sunday.

In celebration of Passover, which falls on April 5, the community will hand out 10,000 matzas.

With the Anti-Defamation League finding that New York experienced a 39% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in 2022, the NYPD plans to increase security over the next few weeks.

The mitzvah tanks headed down Eastern Parkway, across the Manhattan bridge and ended at 34th Street-Herald Square.