The 135,000 participants and viewers of last year’s Great Parade will always remember it as an unparalleled celebration of Jewish unity, pride and Ahavas Yisroel.
 
Does it get any greater?
 
With 30 days until Lag Ba’Omer, organizers of The Great Parade 5771 spoke exclusively with The Yeshiva World about the annual Lag Ba’omer Parade and show in Brooklyn, the popular video promotion for the event and the most important participants.

YW: What is The Great Parade?
TGP: The theme of the parade will always be a celebration of Ahavas Yisroel in honor of the great Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who famously requested that his Yahrtzeit be marked with joy and celebration.

 
YW: Who is it geared to?
TGP: You and me. Even before all the entertainment, the simple feeling of 35,000 men, women and children joining together to say Pessukim of Torah and enjoy Lag Ba’Omer is something indescribable. Everyone is welcome and we know it will be an unforgettable experience.
 
YW: Give us a taste of what to expect this year…
TGP: Where to start? Well, this year, there will be over a dozen 54-foot colorful floats showing scenes of Jewish life. Military marching bands and school marching bands, roaming clowns, the works! Every Jewish school can sign-up to carry a banner and be announced by the MC as they march in the Parade.
 
YW: Live music?
TGP: Of course! The greatest Jewish music talent will make appearances during the Parade—Mordechai Ben David, Uncle Moishy, the Marcus Brothers (of 8th Day), Benny Friedman, Shloimy Gertner. They’ll perform some of their own music as well as medleys together that will resonate with people of all backgrounds.
 
YW: Tell us about the video promotion that has been making the rounds…
TGP: The video features a brand-new song written for The Great Parade by the very talented Shmuli and Bentzi Marcus of 8th Day. It is an irresistibly fun song that captures the power and energy of Jewish unity. The video features many schools and stores in the tri-state area, well-known Jewish businesses, corporate partners of the Parade and more.
 
YW: What is the background of The Great Parade?
TGP: It began in the 1940s with “Mesibos Shabbos” rallies in Brooklyn which brought Jewish children together from Talmud Torahs and public schools to sing, say pessukim of Torah and celebrate their Jewish pride. Since then, whenever Lag Ba’Omer occurs on a Sunday, a massive parade is held on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn
 
YW: Who organizes The Great Parade?
TGP: Four major Jewish organizations jointly care for the logistics of The Great Parade: National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education, Tzivos Hashem, Mesibos Shabbos and Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch.
 
YW: Next year, Lag Ba’Omer is not on a Sunday …how do you keep the excitement going?
TGP: Well, we hope to march together to Yerushalayim in The Greatest Parade even before this Lag Ba’Omer! But of course the celebration of Jewish unity carries on into the night of Lag Ba’Omer and back home into the hundreds of communities that participate.
 
For information and to register banners, marching bands and floats, visit TheGreatParade.com