Tel Aviv Roads Were Blocked Again, But This Time With Love

After weeks of protests in Tel Aviv, the city’s roads were blocked again this past week, but this time it was blocked by 17,000 children taking part in Chabad’s 22 Lag B’omer parades throughout the city.

After months of protests paralyzed Tel Aviv streets on consecutive Motzei Shabbosim, a huge wave of “protests” once again washed over all Tel Aviv neighborhoods, from the Bat Yam border to the Herzliya border. But this time everyone was smiling.

Starting from Sunday, erev Lag B’omer, and continuing through Monday night, Chabad held Lag B’omer parades in all of the city’s main streets and largest public parks, taking Tel Aviv by storm.

Fears about the public morale or the security situation were soon dispelled, and the number of children and parents participating in the parades almost doubled from previous years, in honor of Hakhel. The large attendance was also thanks to the Municipality of Tel Aviv, which prominently published a list of all Lag B’omer parades in the city on the municipality’s official website. They even added a header saying that “Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality invites parents and children to participate in Chabad’s Lag Ba’Omer parades in honor of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.”

“Finally, in the midst of the unbearable chaos, a refreshing breath of unity and ahavas Yisroel,” said one of many residents who excitedly photographed the unusual sights in the heart of the busy city.

Over 1,500 parents and children marched in a procession on King George and Sheinkin Streets on the morning of Lag B’omer, with many of the local residents and business owners watching proudly.

After 48 hours of non-stop events, the organizers sat to make a tally. And what a tally it was! According to the Tel Aviv District Police’s assessment, a total of 17,000 boys and girls attended the 22 Lag B’omer parades held throughout the city.