Outdoor Jewish festival becomes drive-thru circus for thousands

Every spring, Jewish families around the world celebrate the holiday of Lag B’Omer with bonfires, children’s parades, live music, good deeds and food.

But with COVID-19 stay-at-home orders restricting public gatherings, Rabbi Zevi New of Chabad of San Diego had to think outside the box for this year’s event. With help from rabbis and volunteers at 25 Chabad centers countywide, New organized the region’s first-ever drive-thru Lag B’Omer, or Lag Ba’Omer, celebration on Tuesday evening.

An estimated 2,000 people in about 300 cars slowly motored and cheerfully honked their way through the circus-themed drive-by festival, held in the parking lot of the Chabad Hebrew Academy campus in Scripps Ranch. Many of the spectators were students at the Academy, which serves 350 children, from preschool to eighth grade.

Michael and Lorri Rothbart of Party Pony Express, along with their donkeys Sasha and Comet, greet guests during a drive-through circus to celebrate the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer at the Chabad of San Diego headquarters campus in Scripps Ranch on May 12. Thousands of people attended the event that was complete with circus acts, live music and festival floats.

(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The words Lag B’Omer are Hebrew for the 33rd day of the Omer, a calendar of 49 days stretching from Passover to Shavuot. The 33rd day marks the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a sage and mystic from Judea who lived nearly 2,000 years ago. This year, Lag B’Omer fell on Tuesday.

Before he died, Rabbi Shimon asked his followers to mark the occasion of his death with joyful celebration. Lag B’Omer also commemorates the end of plague that killed many disciples of another great sage, Rabbi Akiva, who was Shimon’s teacher.

New — who runs Chabad of San Diego’s Youth Action Movement with his wife, Musy — said children have been so cooped up over the past eight weeks that he and other Chabad leaders didn’t want them to miss out on an outdoor celebration.

“We can’t come together right now to congregate, but we were challenged to be innovative and rise above it to bring joy, kindness and good deeds,” New said. “I lost family members on the East Coast to COVID-19. This has the potential to be a very somber moment, especially for children. But hopefully this brings them a glimmer of light.”

Gregory Scott spins fire during a drive-through circus to celebrate the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer at the Chabad of San Diego campus on May 12 in Scripps Ranch. Thousands of people attended the event that was complete with circus acts, live music, and festival floats.

(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Along the 10-minute driving route, there were a dozen circus artists performing feats of juggling, acrobatics, unicycling and stilt-walking. There was a DJ singing along to Jewish pop and dance music; floats decorated with symbols of the Jewish faith; video installations; murals and a pair of live donkeys named Comet and Sasha.

There was also a bonfire, which New said represents warmth and rising aspirations for better times.

“No matter what happens now, we’re being tested and everyone is in the same boat,” New said. “We have to be reminded in bad times that we’re one nation and things will get better. Like the flames that always point upward, we’re challenged to seek a higher purpose and obviously hang on to every drop of hope.”

There was a texting station, where people could send their prayers via text to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. And there were take-home goodie bags of children’s games, books and ingredients for homemade s’mores.

Families watch John Beck as he hand balances during a drive-through circus to celebrate the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer at the Chabad of San Diego headquarters campus on May 12 in Scripps Ranch. Thousands of people attended the event that was complete with circus acts, live music and festival floats.

(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Rabbi Yisroel Dinerman, a Judaic teacher at the Hebrew Academy, waved to passing cars from a booth celebrating the teachings of Rabbi Akiva.

“He promulgated the concept of loving one another,” Dinerman said. “This festival is is based on the concept of love and fellowship finding common ground.”

Nearby, Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort of Chabad of La Costa manned a float topped with a giant replica of a challah loaf, the hand-woven bread traditionally served at Shabbat dinners. Every car that came through received a free “Loaves of Love” bag of mini-challah rolls with recipes for home baking.

To attend the drive-thru circus, families paid $4 per person, which included a take-home dinner of burgers and fries. In reality, the event cost $10 a head to produce, but it was well worth the price, said Rabbi Yonah Fradkin, regional director for Chabad of San Diego. He said it was such a popular event, both with Jews and non-Jews alike, that they’re considering doing it again next year at a bigger venue.

“I think if it makes people happy, the spirit is moving well,” Fradkin said.