For the 264 cars that drove through the “Drive out of Egypt Carnival” at the Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center in Columbus, Ohio, on March 21, each one had a story to tell on how Covid-19 had impacted their lives.
Whatever particular challenge that we have all undergone from the start of Covid-19 till now, the drive-through carnival was created for one purpose in mind- to fill each family with hope. To show that we can and we will celebrate Yiddishkeit, and every single Jewish child should feel the excitement of Pesach.
As car after car drove past Moshe hoisted on a 45 ft. cherry picker raining down the ten plagues in the form of ping pong balls as hail and an assortment of animal toys for the plague of wild animals, a giant foam machine replicating the splitting of the sea, and a 15 ft. Pharaoh on stilts- the faces of each child passing through lit up, smiling from ear to ear from the surprises at every turn.
The Pesach Drive-Through carnival was made as a tribute to our children who have withstood a global epidemic. Each carnival booth that brought joy to the families driving by was a salute to their perseverance. Every single car received a hand baked Shmura Matza.
“In 20 years from now, we want every Jewish kid in Columbus to remember that they were still able to celebrate Pesach, despite the pandemic,” said Rochel Kaltmann, Event Coordinator at Chabad Columbus.
This Pesach, we celebrate our brave kids.
Photos by Aseel Brodd
