Zionce decided to take the idea back to the US, and in true American fashion opted for a truck as his mode of transport.
“Mitzvah tanks” have already been a practice carried out by Chabad in the US since the 1970s – a portable synagogue, travelling to help connect alienated Jews – but Zionce has taken the practice to the extreme by promising to go to every state in his repainted Tesla Cybertruck.
The truck is wrapped in Jewish images, including of a Torah scroll, and a tribute to murdered Chabad rabbi Zvi Kogan.
Kogan's kidnapping and murder in the UAE, which made headlines in 2024, is another reason Zionce decided to launch his mitzvah journey, saying it was the perfect way to “honour” the rabbi, whom he knew well.
The Mitzvah truck (Image: YouTube/ Shloime Zionce)[Missing Credit]
“This truck isn’t about a vehicle,” Zionce said. “It’s about a mission. We’re going to meet Jews from every background.
"We’re going to hear their stories. We’re going to share their stories. And we’re going to perform [mitzvot] and good deeds.”
The truck displays the words “Ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha,” in Hebrew, which translates to “love your fellow person as yourself”, and features images such as the holocaust survivor to illustrate how mitzvot can bring light even after darkness.
The truck is also stocked up with ceremonial items, including tefillin and Shabbat candles, as well as food, tents, and other supplies.
The tefillin was put to good use early on in the journey, when a cyclist stopped to take a photograph of the truck.
Zionce recalled that they got chatting and, when the man revealed that his mother was Jewish, Zionce replied: “That means you are Jewish.” Helping him realise his halachic Jewish identity, Zionce helped him wrap tefillin, gave him a kippah, and guided him through prayers and davening.
“I stood there smiling, pleasantly surprised by what had just transpired,” Zionce said.
