In Northbrook, Ill., a big boost for the faithful on the move
Regular attendees of synagogue services or Torah classes have long quipped how these activities energize them and provide them with the spiritual juice they need to make it through the day. At Lubavitch Chabad of Northbrook, an affluent suburb north of Chicago, that just took on a literal meaning.
Using the center’s newly installed EnelX JuiceBox EV charging station, people can pop in for morning services while their electric-powered vehicle receives a charge that will get them to downtown Chicago.
Depending on the battery type and other factors, including the weather, an hour’s charge can provide as many as 30 miles of driving before the car will need another jolt.
The charging station, which can be operated by credit card or via app, was the gift of George Groner, an energy entrepreneur who has been connected to Chabad for more than 35 years.
Groner says the charging station is just one way in which he can repay some of the gratitude he feels towards Chabad rabbis and their families. He first became familiar with Chabad when he was a commodity trader on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in the same pit as a fellow named Elliot Moscowitz. Moscowitz introduced Groner to his elder brother, Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz, who was in the process of laying the groundwork for what has since mushroomed into 50 Chabad centers throughoutthe state of Illinois.
Groner began attending Moscowitz’s classes a few high-risers over—“and that was the start of a beautiful relationship,” he reflects.
When the rabbi and his wife relocated to Northbrook to establish a Chabad center there, Groner was a frequent attendee at Chabad of Northbrook services and events. In 2014, Rabbi Moscowitz died suddenly at the age of 59, and the Chabad center is now directed by his eldest son, Rabbi Meir S. Moscowitz.
“Come to Chabad,” says the younger rabbi, “nourish your soul with a Torah class, refresh yourself with a kosher cup of coffee, all while your car charges outside.”
