Chabad hosting Israel’s birthday celebration

LITCHFIELD — Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest Connecticut is sponsoring a community-wide celebration, featuring International Israel singer Sandy Shmuely, a kosher barbecue, moon bounces and special kids programs on Wednesday, May 2 at White Memorial’s Mott Van Winkle Area, 80 Whitehall Road, Litchfield. It will mark the observance of the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer, traditionally commemorated by large outdoor celebrations and bonfires, which harbor spiritual significance.

The event is open to the public. Admission is $10 for children, $18 for adults.

“We are excitedly looking forward to this year’s 23rd Lag BaOmer celebration,” said Rabbi Joseph Eisenbach, of Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest CT. “With programs planned, it promises a good time for all.”

Chabad-Lubavitch is hosting thousands of similar Lag BaOmer celebrations in cities across the globe. The celebrations all share a common theme: Jewish unity, Eisenbach said.

Historically, the holiday of Lag BaOmer was celebrated by going out to the fields for introspection and celebration. In 1953, the Rebbe-Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, considered the most influential rabbi in modern history, initiated the Lag BaOmer parade as a display of Jewish pride and unity. Since then, many take part in parades and outdoor celebrations each year.

This year, Lag B’Omer begins May 2 at sunset through May 3, and is a festive day on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the anniversary of the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar, the foundational work of the Kabbalah. It also commemorates another event. In the weeks between Passover and Shavuot, a plague raged amongst the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva and on Lag BaOmer the dying ceased.

Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest Connecticut’s mission is to reach out to others with acts of goodness and kindness. Chabad is a community-based nonprofit organization whose efforts are rooted in traditional Jewish values — and many of its programs help the needy regardless of background or belief.