When Lubavitcher in New Haven came up with the idea to transform their Sprinter vans into ‘personal’ Mitzvah Tanks, they had no idea that it would impact other Yidden even before the project was completed.
By Anash.org
When Lubavitcher in New Haven came up with the idea to transform their Sprinter vans into ‘personal’ Mitzvah Tanks, they had no idea that it would impact other Yidden even before the project was completed.
The story began when Anash of New Haven decided that they wanted to bring a Mitzvah Tank to the community. Very quickly, however, they realized that purchasing a Mitzvah Tanks is a very costly endeavor.
So they came up with another creative idea.
With many of the families in the community owning Sprinter vans of mini-vans, it would only take some design and wrapping to transform the vehicle into a stylish and functional Mitzvah Tank that will make heads turn and hearts open.
The project would be low-cost, with expenses ranging from $4,000-$6,000 a vehicle, depending on the size of the van, the quality of the materials used, and the level of customization. That price would allow not one, but a number of Mitzvah Tanks to appear on the streets of the community.
Without wasting any time, the community began working on their first Tank. Originally, they wanted the design and wrapping process to be done by Yidden in Crown Heights. However, due to the time constraints of Yud Aleph Nissen and the difficulties with shlepping the van to and from New Haven they decided to find a local company instead.
After googling and contacting 5 companies, they finally landed on a local shop in Milford, Connecticut, called ‘Bowman Signs.’ Naturally, they assumed that the owner would be a local non-Jew.
To the great surprise, the local “goy” turned out to be a Jew named Brad who had never had a Bar Mitzvah. During the wrapping process, Brad and the Lubavitchers got to know each other better, and they ended up giving Brad his Bar Mitzvah and Matzah for Pesach on the newly converted Mitzvah Tank!
“This inspiring story shows that even when things don’t go according to plan, Hashem has a way of bringing people together and making miracles happen,” one of the members of the New Haven community told Anash.org.
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