Emphasizing Jewish unity while maintaining social distancing
Defying all odds, Lag BaOmer in the era of the coronavirus was celebrated in grand style, checking off another year celebrating that magical day when the light of Kabbalah shone strong with the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Social-distancing practices posed some significant challenges, but all that meant was a bit of creativity to come up with celebrations yet unseen in Jewish life—cheerful and meaningful as always.
Speaking a Common Language
Preparing a Lag BaOmer video on the holiday’s history for German-speaking Jewish communities of Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Vienna
Jewish children from Germany, Austria and Switzerland celebrate Lag BaOmer.
One of the things that bonds the Jewish communities of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria is their shared language—German. But until this year, holiday celebrations—Lag BaOmer among them—have never reached beyond borders. With the specter of a quarantined Lag BaOmer in place, the German-speaking Chabad emissaries decided to band together and bring an unprecedented celebration to their community. Just like that, a three-country festival was born.
Gathering online over Zoom, YouTube Live, and Facebook Live, thousands of people from 32 cities participated in a grand Lag BaOmer online rally and concert. People danced in their living rooms, a raffle was held, and viewers were treated to a video depicting the events of the original Lag BaOmer produced specifically for the event.
“This was really a first-of-a-kind event for us here, and we are blown away by the results,” Rabbi Yochanan Gordon of Chabad of Munich told Chabad.org. Rabbi Zalman Raskin of Chabad of Vienna agreed. “We saw people over Zoom that we haven’t seen in a long time and to see them literally dancing in their living rooms was such a joy,” he said.
From Square to Synagogue
Budapest
Moving across the European continent, Mendel Nogradi, his wife Sara, and particularly their young children of the Chabad community in Budapest, Hungary, couldn’t fathom the notion that there wouldn’t be Lag BaOmer celebrations this year. So they came up with the idea of a car parade to be organized under the auspices of Chabad of Budapest with Rabbi Boruch Oberlander. Magnets were secured and attached to cars of community members. Gathering together in the city’s central square, they paraded together with the Lag BaOmer message all the way to the historical Obuda Synagogue, now under the leadership of Rabbi Slomo Köves. Once there, participants were able to pick up barbecue fare from their cars—all in good old Lag BaOmer spirit.
The event was held in memory of the more than 100 Chabad community members around the world who lost their lives during the pandemic, as well as the nearly 400 members of the Hungarian community who have succumbed to the illness.
In for the Long Haul
Oxnard, Calif.
Oxnard, Calif.
Car parades really took off all over the United States, with many communities adopting the idea. Among his many responsibilities, Rabbi Zalmy Kudan of S. Barbara, Calif., is also the principal of Lamplighters Yeshivah, a day school located in “nearby” Oxnard under the auspices of Rabbi Dov Muchnick. (“Nearby” in rural California is a mere 60 miles away.) Not including Santa Barbara, the student body of this school spans an area of almost 50 miles, so to cover it, the Lag BaOmer car parade had to get off to an early start. Kudan piled his family into the car and by late morning was in Oxnard. From there, the caravan swelled with more families; by the time it reached its peak in Agoura Hills, it was at full bloom. Once there, with the mayor’s blessing and a professional photo crew behind them, the line of vehicles circled the neighborhood, broadcasting a message of unity, love and inspiration from the Rebbe.
“We wanted to really get a feeling of togetherness in these socially distant times,” said Kudan. So, in addition to the parade, each car bore a different letter of the school’s name, spelling it out in entirety only when all together. To boot, a simultaneous Zoom rally took place, maximizing participation in person and online.
Build Your Own Float
Chicago
Chicago boasts a sizable Jewish community of many backgrounds, and that only energized Rabbi Yosef Shmuel Moscowitz of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois all the more so to rev things up this unique year. Matters took shape quickly, and before Lag BaOmer rolled around, local families had the opportunity to come to Chabad headquarters in Chicago and pick up a custom designed wooden kit to put on their own cars as a base for a “float.” Families took to it with gusto, fashioning elaborate designs broadcasting Torah messages on their homemade car-top floats.
The parade was more than 100 vehicles strong, with an LED truck at the helm playing videos of the Rebbe and other teachings. Full floats on flatbed trucks followed suit, and then the family cars. Participants were able to play a custom pre-recorded “rally” in their own cars, bringing the parade spirit of every year into their own personal spaces.
“We paraded all around the neighborhoods here, and it was a tremendous show of Jewish pride,” said an exhausted, yet exhilarated Moscowitz.
Bringing Joy to Seniors
Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
The senior community has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, and for residents of senior facilities, the isolation of lockdown can be uniquely challenging. Rabbi Yosef Orenstein of Valley Chabad in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., heads a CTeen group in town, and on the roster of programs is a weekly pre-Shabbat gathering at a local senior home that brings the residents and teens together. Of course, that has come to a screeching halt for now.
“The teens and I have developed a strong bond with the residents, and we really missed them,” Orenstein told Chabad.org. “What better opportunity than Lag BaOmer, when traditionally we bring joy to the masses outside, to reconnect with our beloved senior community?”
Orenstein’s challenge was the lockdown in New Jersey that forbade even car parades. Planning with the local police chief and administrators at the senior facility, they secured permission to bring a limited number of cars into the private parking lot to wave hello and bring cheer to their elder friends. Parents were commissioned to drive their teenage children around; all in all, it was a blast.
“The joy was palpable on their faces,” he said. “The director of programming couldn’t thank us enough.”
Kumzitz? Try ‘ZoomZitz’
Houston
The kumzitz is a staple of Lag BaOmer festivities. Sitting around a bonfire with guitars, roasted marshmallows and words of inspiration serves to bring the fiery energy of such a spiritual day into focus. From his porch, Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff of Chabad of Uptown Houston invented the “ZoomZitz”—a live stream with hundreds of community members as they sat around their individual fires at home. Drawing from a shopping list the rabbi shared with them beforehand, members cracked out their own homemade s’mores and were regaled with music from the rabbi’s son Mendy, in addition to stories from Chanie Lazaroff.
A Zooming Concert
Chabad Young Professionals
CYP concert with Shulem Lemmer.
Shulem Lemmer is the first Chassidic music superstar to sign a major record contract with a leading label, Universal Music Group. Filling an auditorium for a concert is not quite a possibility these days, so the central offices of Chabad Young Professionals figured that he would be quite a catch to bring to their extended community. What began as a small plan with a few CYP chapters burgeoned into a global affair of more than 45 chapters. The concert kicked off on Zoom, and the audience of nearly 1,000 participants was able to view, listen and engage with each other in the virtual space. An interactive event, they were able to vote on songs and hear the new star sing some favorite classics.
“The concert was fantastic; it touched my soul,” said Carol from Little Rock, Ark.
Parked in for Music
Rochester, N.Y.
Rochester, N.Y.
The JCC of Rochester, N.Y., has a spacious parking lot that hasn’t seen much action since the pandemic began. Rabbi Moshe Vogel of Chabad of Rochester, along with his father, Rabbi Nechemia Vogel, jumped on the idea of hosting a drive-in concert for Lag BaOmer with viewers in their own car. A collaboration was born, and the concert was grand.
Packed with cars, the parking lot was transformed into a concert grounds with nearly 250 viewers. “The atmosphere was truly special,” said the rabbi. “People were just enjoying being able to celebrate Lag BaOmer together in any way. Instead of clapping, they honked loudly to show their enthusiasm.” With some viewers sitting on the roofs of their cars, they got a good view of jugglers throwing fire, and even a show from a former member of the Cirque du Soleil, Rochester was definitely a great place to be for Lag BaOmer this year.
