PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 27, 2007
B"H
On Sunday, May 6, 2007, thousands of people from all over the New York and tri-State area will join NCFJE and Tzivos Hashem for a lavish and exciting Lag Be'Omer Parade.
For over 50 years the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE) has been hosting a Lag Be'Omer Parade in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, whose diverse streets host this joyous event takes place in the diverse streets of Brooklyn. The parade offers something for everyone and all are welcome. The joy of the parade is infectious and affects the people of the city.
Coordinators are preparing for 30,000 children and an additional 30,000 spectators to participate in the parade, which is scheduled to start at 10:00 am in front of Lubavitch World Headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY.
The Theme of the parade is "On the Shoulders of Giants: A Journey through Jewish History." Each of the exciting Parade floats will tell a different story in Jewish History. There will be a float for Abraham, Moses, the Jews leaving Egypt and many more.
Rabbi Shimon Hecht, parade coordinator and MC, said, "The parade is a great unifier today as it was many years ago when my father, Rabbi JJ Hecht, obm, ran it. Children are the stars of the show and every child is made to feel special."
The day's events are especially geared to children with a complete children's program which with starts exciting activities, a rally and a show in front of Lubavitch Headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway. The entertainment will include a concert by the very talented Chaim Fogelman and a performance by the famous Ives Family Motorcycle Stunt Show. The streets will be lined with stretch limos filled with clowns.
This will be followed by a parade led by representatives of the US Army, NYC Police Department, Fire Department and members of Hatzolah.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe put great emphasis on the importance of school children attending the parade. Children of many local schools - both public and private - will be marching in the parade together with almost 20 original and creative floats created by the children of Chabad.
There will also be a group of Jewish motorcyclists, led by Rabbi Zachary Betesh, who serves as the spiritual leader to the Jewish Motorcycle Community and founder of Lions of Judea International, a global charitable foundation of Jewish bikers, promoting Jewish outreach and awareness. Rabbi Zach will be joined in the parade by members of King David Bikers, the nation's largest Jewish motorcycle riding organization, along with many other bikers from Jewish motorcycle clubs throughout the United States.
Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, one of parade organizers said, "We are very happy that this group of Jewish motorcyclists is taking part in this event. We are impressed with their dedication. The bikers are travelling from all over the USA because of the love they feel for all their Jewish brethren - especially the children."
Three professional in-house school bands from the local Chabad communities will be performing at the parade. The instruments will be played by young Yeshiva boys who come from Yeshiva Oholei Torah, United Lubavitch Yeshiva of Crown Street and the Yeshiva in Morristown, New Jersey.
The County Tyrone Pipers Band of NY, a lively Irish band, will also be performing at the parade. They took part in a Lag Be'Omer parade over 20 years ago and are eager to come back and play for the excited audience.
There will be a poster contest for all school age children, with a helicopter ride around NYC as the prize, as well as a "best behavior" award from all the local schools.
As always, the parade will be followed by a fair; complete with an exotic petting zoo and thrilling giant rides. The menu will include carnival favorites such as hot-dogs, cotton-candy and much more.
As an additional bonus to the stars of the day - the children - the parade gives the young adults who participate in the setup of the event, who are engrossed in Torah study all year, a chance to make use of and express their talents in art, organization and creativity through the floats and beautiful banners that will be displayed to enhance the parade.
To read about Lag Be'Omer press here
Contact:
Rabbi Zach at (954) 205 3913