Chicago Celebrates Full Force in Both Rain and Shine

Kicking off with a marching band, Chicago’s Chabad community took over Lovelace Park for Lag BaOmer celebrations, featuring rides and a musical program of heartfelt niggunim by Eli Marcus together with the sweet voices of the Cheder Boys Choir.

The year 5785 brought a rare calendar lineup: Purim on Friday and Erev Pesach on Shabbos. While this unusual schedule posed logistical challenges for Chabad Houses across the country, it also sparked creative solutions for celebrating these Yomim Tovim. With Lag B’Omer falling on a Friday, one might have expected a scaled-down event — maybe even a quiet “day off.” But if you thought that, you haven’t met Chicago’s Chabad community.

Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois never misses an opportunity to ignite Jewish pride and bring the community together. Under the leadership of Rabbi Yosef Moscowitz, executive director of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois — and by now, the “grand master” of all things Lag B’Omer — the team met the challenge head-on and set out to create another unforgettable festival.

The checklist was long: find a large, centrally located venue; coordinate with local officials to ensure security and reassure the park district; secure a top-tier entertainer and arrange a spirited performance by the Cheder Boys Choir; organize an army of volunteers; order enough food to feed a small city; and plan rides, games, signage, publicity, and a solid inclement weather backup plan — all while ensuring everything ran smoothly and safely.

And they did it all. Centrally located Lovelace Park was secured, and world-renowned Jewish singer Eli Marcus was booked as the headliner. Attractions, rides, and food vendors were all in place. The final piece of the puzzle — the weather — was the only thing out of their control, but even that was accounted for.

The festivities began Thursday afternoon under sunny skies. Families from across the community poured in for an afternoon of fun, food, music, and joy. The cheder marching band kicked off the celebration with lively energy, and the park buzzed with excitement.

As the sun set and Lag B’Omer officially began, the rain arrived — but so did the backup plan. The concert and choir performance were smoothly relocated to an indoor venue, where the celebration continued with song, dancing, and inspiration late into the night.

“This was a particularly challenging year,” said Rabbi Moscowitz. “But with Hashem’s brocha, the Rebbe’s ongoing inspiration, and the incredible cooperation of the local shluchim, we pulled it off — and we’ll keep doing it for years to come.”

A special thank you goes out to the many shluchim and mosdos who lent their support, the amazing volunteers from Hillel High School in Milwaukee, and the talented Cheder Boys Choir led by Rabbi Mendel Moscowitz for their uplifting performance.