Moroccan Jewish Student Dazzled by Moscow Parade

As hundreds of children gathered in Moscow for a grand Lag BaOmer parade, usually reserved for when it falls on a Sunday, a Jewish student from Morocco who happened to walk by was moved by the event and put on Tefillin for the first time in his life.

An impressive Lag BaOmer parade took place on the grounds of the Jewish Museum in Moscow and in the educational institutions adjacent to it, with the participation of hundreds of children led by Head Shliach and Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar.

Despite this year’s Lag BaOmer falling on a Friday, a number of energetic Shluchim, headed by the Shliach and Mechanech Rabbi Eliyahu Dikshtein, initiated a special campaign and decided to go all out and organize a large parade this year, even though such a large event is usually held when the holiday falls on a Sunday.

The response was beyond all expectations – the number of participants was so large that the number of chairs was not enough, and the organizers had to bring in more and more seats. Many children participated in the event and merited to cause a huge Kiddush Hashem, as per the Rebbe’s call to hold “holy processions” on this day and “to ignite the flame of Yiddishkeit in the world.”

During the event itself, the children recited the twelve psukim and heard about the essence of the day from the Chief Rabbi. An upshernish ceremony was also held for one of the children of the Shluchim in Moscow.

An especially poignant moment was when a Jewish student from Morocco, studying at the nearby university, “happened to” walk by. He was greatly moved by the event and put on Tefillin for the first time in his life.

The event ended with a festive rally that included a raffle with special prizes for the participants. Every boy and girl who participated in the event received a goodie bag.

Photography: Levi Nazarov