The Magnificent Month of May, part 2

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May continues to be filled with significant days of both secular and Jewish importance.

may2 lagMay 14 is Mother’s Day but it’s also the celebration of L’ag BaOmer (the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer) which interrupts the semi-mourning period leading up to Shavuot. There are several explanations for the date: the cessation of a plague that killed many of Rabbi Akiva’s students, the death of his student Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the appearance of manna in the desert. Whatever the reason, it’s a day of great celebration (though a minor holiday) with picnics and bonfires, weddings and haircuts.

May 16 is National Love a Tree Day when trees are celebrated and recognized for the wonderful gift that they are to us.

Related reading

  • The Tree in the Courtyard: looking through Anne Frank’s window (Gottesfeld)
  • Anne Frank and the Remembering Tree (Sasso) (J)
  •  Solomon and the Trees (Biers-Ariel) (J)
  • Wangari’s Trees of Peace: a true story from Africa (Winter) (J)

May 18 is International Museum Day

Related reading:

  • Treasures from the Jewish Museum
  • The Precious Legacy: Judaic treasures from the Czechoslovak State Collection

may2herzlMay 20 was the birth of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism. Born in Budapest in 1904, Herzl advocated a new state for Jews as opposed to assimilation into often hostile countries and cultures.

Related reading:

  • Theodor Herzl (Finkelstein) (YA)
  • The Zionist idea: a historical analysis and reader
  • The Siege: the saga of Israel and Zionism (O’Brien)

May 2 jerusalemMay 24 is Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Unification Day. On May 25, 1948, the Old City of Jerusalem fell out of Jewish hands during the War of Independence. It was not until 1967 that the city was reunited under Israeli control.

Related reading:

  • Jerusalem, Jerusalem: how the ancient city ignited our modern world (Carroll)
  • Snow in Jerusalem (Da Costa) (J)
  • Jerusalem: the biography (Sebag)
  • Jerusalem: a cookbook (Ottolenghi)
  • Like Dreamers: the story of the Israeli paratroopers who reunited Jerusalem and                        divided a nation (Klein Halevi)

May 2 jolsonMay 26 was the birthdate of Al Jolson, one of the most famous vaudevillians of his time. He appeared in The Jazz Singer, first motion picture with full sound.

Related reading:

  • The American Jewish Story Through Cinema (Goldman)

May 29 is American Memorial Day commemorating American soldiers lost in war. Jews have served in the military from colonial times (New Amsterdam) to today. Many lost their lives; many were awarded medals; some rose to the rank of general. There are an estimated 10,000 Jews serving today.

Related reading:

  • Sailor and Fiddler: reflections of a 100-year-old author (Wouk)
  • Yankee at the Seder (Weber) (J)

may 2 shavuotMay 31 (6 Sivan) celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mont Sinai with the holiday of Shavuot.

Related reading:

  • Sadie and the Big Mountain (Korngold) (J)
  • The 613 (Rand)
  • Who Knows Ten: children’s tales of the Ten Commandments (Cone) (J)
  • The Geneses of Justice: Ten stories of Biblical injustice that led to the Ten Commandments      and modern law (Dershowitz)
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