Yearly Jewish Lag B’omer Fest In Natick Remade For Pandemic Era

NATICK, MA — The Jewish holiday Lag B’omer will be observed Monday and Tuesday around the world. But in spring 2020, the holiday is especially pertinent.

Lag B’omer has several meanings, and one is to remember the sudden end of a plague that wiped out thousands of Jewish students almost 2,000 years ago.

The Chabad Center in Natick for the last 30 years has held a Lag B’omer celebration, usually with events like barbecues, bonfires and concerts. But this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the celebration is being retooled.

Starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, members of the Chabad Center will embark on a car parade featuring 10 or more vehicles that will travel across Natick and MetroWest. Along the way, local residents can join in the celebration from the safety of their homes. The parade will also pass the Natick police and fire stations to salute them for responding to coronavirus.

"It’s social distancing while socially connecting," Chabad Center Director Rabbi Levi Fogelman said in a news release. "Even in the midst of our ‘plague,’ it’s important to get together and commemorate a special day on the Hebrew calendar."

The plague aspect of the holiday is especially poignant because of coronavirus, but the Chabad Center uses the holiday to remember Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the founder of Kabbalistic Judaism who died on the holiday. Lag B’omer usually features bonfires, a symbol of the spiritual light provided by Shimon bar Yochai's teachings.

The Chabad Center's youth directors, Rabbis Dovid and Shternie Zaltzman, thought of the car parade as a way to keep young people and the wider community involved in the celebration.

"We are all in our homes, craving interaction, and this will bring us together, but safely," Rabbi Shternie Zaltzman said in a news release.

Most importantly, anyone can join in on the parade. Find out how to participate on the Chabad Center's website. You can also watch live on the center's Instagram page.