JEM: Some 40 Years Later, Fresh Parade Photos Surface

The photos of the Rebbe presiding over Lag B’Omer Parades, thousands of children marching by, are some of the most iconic.

An optimal time for photographing the Rebbe, standing and smiling in one spot, many attempted to use the natural sunlight to capture the Rebbe on this unique day.

For years JEM has made the effort to track down these beautiful images, meticulously digitizing them and making them accessible to the public.  

Just this week Rabbi Eli Blachman lent a vast portion of his photo and video collection to JEM. Photos from Lag’Bomer 1983, 1987, 1988 and 1990, as well as a video from the Lag B’Omer Farbrengen of 1986 were a portion of this selection. View photos here.

But sometimes you don’t have to look far to find treasures. Going through old boxes hundreds of never-before-seen negatives were found that were taken by Rabbi Chaim Baruch Halberstam of the WLCC. With many of them showcasing Lag B’Omer events from 1984 and 1987, the JEM team rushed to make sure they would be published in honor of Rashbi’s day. JEM’s Rabbis Elkanah Shmotkin, Mendel Gourarie, Motti Hazan and Memkeh Schmukler got right into it. Thanks to the help of a few Bochurim – Shea Shmotkin, Mendel Berghoff, Moshe Stock and Moshe Gourarie – and many late nights, these pictures were uploaded just in the nick of time so everybody can enjoy this stunning collection. View the photos here: 5744, 5747.