Lag Baomer with Chabad Youth NSW at the Yeshiva Centre

What a wonderful day it was, Lag Baomer – Sunday 28 April 2013. After much preparation and efforts from so many the day finally arrived. Celebration was in the air and the music was uplifting and exciting.

The program started with a Rally called for 11am. The MC and coordinator of the event, Rabbi Elimelech Levy – Director of Chabad Youth NSW welcomed everyone, the full spectrum of the community. All were thanked for participating especially those who had taken the effort to make a Banner for the parade and thereby also joining the competition for the much-anticipated Apple iPad Mini.

At the Rally Rabbi Pinchus Feldman OAM, Dean and spiritual leader of the Yeshiva Centre spoke of the importance of the day and how around the globe, especially in Israel, hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were celebrating Lag Baomer.

After Rabbi Feldman, the crowds heard greetings from Malcolm Turnbull MP Federal member for Wentworth and David Clarke MLC, both long-standing friends and supporters of the Jewish community.

A 10 minute video presentation was shown of the New York Lag Baoemr Parade in 1984 in with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Highlights of the film included a gun salute by the US army and a special rendition by County Tyrone Pipe band.

Following the video various children were called up to lead the reciting of the 12 Torah Passages.

The crowed than left the Yeshiva Centre with hundreds of Banners and Balloons and paraded up Flood St. onto Bondi Rd round to Old South Head Rd and Back to Flood St.

On return to the Yeshiva, there was a carnival for the whole family, which included a BBQ, Mini Jeeps, Craft making, Jumping Castle, Rock Climbing, Face Painting and Petting Zoo.

There was a wonderful atmosphere in the air, the kids were having fun while the parents socialised and ate from the Bar-b-q.

All the Banners were brought inside and spread across the floor of the main hall to be judged.

It was extremely difficult to decide which were the top 10 banners that would go in the raffle for the Apple iPad Mini said the Judge, However after hours of deliberation, Artist Rivka Ray of Rose Bay was able to choose 20 Banners – 10 from the younger division and 10 from the older division.

The Banners were judged based on 3 points: Effort, Talent and Concept.

A raffle was drawn from each division and the 2 winners went into a separate raffle to find the final winner.

The winner was Mendel Gavson of Year 2 – Yeshiva College