A Purim Miracle: Bochurim Safe After Car Overturns

For the past 8 years Jewish Services Canada-Chabad (JSC-Chabad) has sent out an army of dedicated yeshiva students to Canada’s Prisons to bring joy and light to the Jews incarcerated there.

Most of the prisons are located outside urban centres and deep into the wooded areas of the countryside. Some volunteers travel 3 hours each way to read Megillah to just a handful of Jews.

However, this year, things took a dangerous turn.

While en route, Talmudic students Shemaya and Yirmi from Yeshivas Lubavitch Toronto had a harrowing experience. The car they were traveling in hit black ice, careened off the highway, and went flying through the air at high speed before landing upside down.

The car was totaled. The yeshiva students however, were pulled out the rear doors completely unscathed.

Nothing short of a Purim miracle.

Fire rescue, EMS and police were all on scene and shockingly gave the volunteers a clean bill of health after a medical examination inside the ambulance.

“My first concern was the health of the volunteers,” says Rabbi Michoel, the organizer of the program.

The volunteers however were ready to continue their trek and finish their mission.

“As adherents of the Lubavitcher Rebbe we appreciate the importance the Rebbe put on both helping bring light to institutionalized Jews and to always finish what you start,” explains Rabbi Yosef Gansburg, Educational Director at Chabad of Ontario and a regular JSC-Chabad volunteer himself.

The yeshiva students grabbed whatever items they could salvage from the mangled car in order to have what they needed for the prison program.

“Central East Correctional Centre called me wondering where the volunteers were as the inmates were anxiously waiting for them in the chapel,” explained Rabbi Michoel. “I tried Uber, I tried Lyft and I even asked the tow truck to drive them but no luck, they were stranded in these parts.”

Rabbi Michoel came up with an idea to ask the locals for help.

Knowing that there was a car dealership nearby called Boyer Chevrolet, Rabbi Michoel decided to try his luck by googling their name and asking them for help.

The dealership, understanding the urgency of the situation, happily agreed and drove the volunteers the rest of the way to the Prison.

The next problem was that the prison was now on lockdown since so much time had passed since the scheduled start time.

Site chaplain Syed, realizing what the students went through to get to the prison, informed security of the situation who happily gave the program as much time as they needed for Purim.
The inmates were so grateful that the volunteers literally went the extra mile to bring the holiday of Purim to them.

“This was literally the best Purim of my life,” said Chaim, a Jewish inmate in Ontario. “It’s kind of ironic that the most meaningful Purim was inside these walls.”

To support this vital work and help JSC-Chabad purchase new vehicles, please consider making a donation today. Click here to donate https://gofund.me/fd5a82e7 To Contact JSC-Chabad email: [email protected]