SAN DIEGO – At the observance of Lag B’Omer on Thursday night, May 15, some customs of the day, like lighting bonfires, giving haircuts to three-year old boys, and eating smores were discussed at Tifereth Israel Synagogue.
The day marking the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer is also said to be the day that a plague stopped killing Rabbi Akiva’s students during times of the Roman conquest of the land of Israel. Later in Jewish history, it is said to be the day of the death of Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, the foundational work of Kabbalah.
I was reminded of this holiday as I was purchasing kosher desserts and wondered if I could find some items with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, but I could find none. I found some black and white cookies, chocolate rugelach, gluten-free/dairy-free items, and delicious fruit to slice up.
Daniel Vnukowski from Toronto, Canada, amazed the audience with what looked like magic as his hands hit the keys on the grand piano at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, and it just seemed so natural. Host Rabbi Hanan Leberman followed the melody with powerful narration focused on the Shoah (Holocaust) and giving voices to the names and stories of those who have survived and those who perished.
Vnukowski shared that his parents were survivors of the Holocaust and played melodies of the time that were triumphant and uplifting.
Leberman reminded the audience that atrocities against Jewish people cannot be allowed to happen again. We need to stop violence and antisemitism and be proud to be a strong community of Jewish people.
Although the Holocaust is a sorrowful subject, many attendees expressed the thought that Leberman and Vnukowski made the Lag B’Omer observance a night of remembrance and celebration of our love for Jewish composers.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.