As I write, my shoulders are sagging and my knees are aching. We just spent an intense four hours out in the sun (warm for the first time this year) enjoying a Lag BaOmer celebration that we will remember for a long time.
We started out from home around 3:30 p.m., stopped off at school to pick up my oldest son and then headed off to a local mall, which graciously offered to host the Great Family Festival. We came just a few minutes after the doors opened. (Any experienced parent will concur that it’s worth coming on time to events like this one. There are no lines for the rides, the booths are well-stocked, and the staff is fresh and helpful.)
We hopped from booth to booth, enjoying airplane rides, boating in six inches of water, and bouncing up and down on giant inflatables.
As the kids played, I enjoyed chatting with some of the other dads about this, that and the other. As people streamed in, I took a look around. The crowds represented the diverse and colorful Jewish community of Chicago. There were Jews with black kipahs, knitted kipahs and no kipahs at all.
In addition to the rides were booths from the Chicago Rabbinical Council, Hatzalah volunteer emergency medical service, Camp Gan Israel, our local mitzvah tank and more. The tefillin stand was doing brisk business, which is always nice to see.
When the clock struck 5, we headed over to the picnic area. One of the nice things about this particular festival is that the entrance fee covered everything, including dinner. That meant that we felt free to load up on as many hotdogs, hamburgers, corn on the cobs, watermelon slices and cold drinks as we wanted to—as did the thousands of other fellow picnickers. It was quite impressive to see the clean, fresh and delicious food put out so quickly.
Since Jewish law mandates that we wash our hands before eating bread, there was a special washing station on wheels with three sinks for that purpose.
As we savored the last of our watermelon slices and said a resounding grace after meals, it was announced that the show would now begin.
On Tunes and Tumblers
Taking our seats facing the portable bandstand, we enjoyed a song by Israeli folk singer Yoel Sharabi. Then, children from a variety of Chabad Houses were called up the lead the crowd in reciting the 12 pesukim, the Torah Passages, selected by the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—as appropriate for gatherings such as this one.
As we repeated word for word, my mind wandered back to my childhood in the mid-1980s when I participated in a similar celebration, saying the same exact verses that my children are saying now. The children this evening were being introduced by Rabbi Meir Moscowitz, regional director of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois. When I was little, his father—Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz, who passed away last year at the age of 59—did it.
The proceedings were emceed by Brett Walkow, a lanky stand-up comedian with a shock of red hair, who has regaled audiences around the globe. But to us, he is Baruch Meir, a regular at Skokie Chabad, and a dear friend to many. Another special guest was the mayor of Skokie, George Van Dusen.
I was pleasantly surprised when Brett announced the presence of Jesse White. In Illinois, he’s a household name. First of all, he is the secretary of state, whose name is emblazoned on everything from my driver’s license to the door of the DMV. Secondly, he is the founder of the internationally known Jesse White Tumbling Team, which has been thrilling audiences since 1959.
The tumblers are inner-city kids from some of Chicago’s roughest neighborhoods who find purpose, entertainment and a path to education through the team.
Although it’s not something that I normally do, I went backstage to shake hands with the 80-year-old Vietnam war veteran and longtime public servant. Holding my daughter, I explained that we were going to say hello to a “special man.”
Mr. White had come along with his tumblers. Before the show began, he announced that any children walking on the performers’ mats would have their licenses revoked.
We settled down in our front row seats to watch the tumblers. Those guys are good! They simply soared through the air and leapt farther than you could imagine.
When they finished, the stage was taken by a group of instrument-bearing men with red shirts, fedoras, vests and Russian accents. They were a klezmer band, and they sang in Yiddish about life in their native Ukraine.
As they sang, some of the boys broke out in spontaneous dancing.
We branched out to enjoy the rides before they closed for the evening. I also stopped by to pray mincha (the afternoon service) in the mitzvah tank. The entire vehicle swayed as a dozen or so men within prayed with concentration. By the time I finished, it was time to go home.
The kids said goodbye to the bonfire that had been kindled, scrambled into the car, and we were off.
It was way past bedtime, but it was worth it. We had a lovely evening together and celebrated in honor of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the scholar and mystic who passed away on this date in the Galilee, and who asked that the anniversary of his passing be treated as a holiday.
Next stop: Shavuot. Jewish families will come to synagogue to hear the Ten Commandments read from the Torah (and if they come to a Chabad center, enjoy a little ice-cream afterwards).
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