JEWISH HOLIDAYS continued from page 35 PESACH/Passover YOM HAZIKARON/Martyrs and Heroes Memorial Day Pesach (Nisan 15-22) is a celebration of our peo- ple's exodus from Egypt. Prior to the festival, we remove all chametz (leavening) from our homes. We will eat only unleavened bread called matzo for eight days. On the first and second nights of Pesach, we have a seder, a festive meal at which we recount the exodus. A number of ritual items are included on a seder plate. The first two and last two days of Pesach are similar to Shabbat in their observance. Generally, one refrains from work and other weekday activities and attends services. Yizkor, the memorial prayer for the dead, is recited on the final day of Passover. The intermediate days are called chol haMoed, when no bread or other foods with leavening may be eaten, but one may go to work and engage in other weekday activities. Those who have died for Israel are remembered at services held on Yom HaZikaron (Iyar 4). This holiday is observed the day before Israel Independence Day. YOM HAATZMAUT / Israel Independence Day On Yom HaAtzmaut (Iyar 5), we celebrate the anniversary of May H, 1948, the day Israel was declared an independent state. Commemorations may include parades, com- munity gatherings, festive meals and special prayer services. Detroit has held a community- wide "Walk for Israel" some years. LAG BiONIER/ 33rd Day Of Counting The Omer The festival of Lag b'Omer (Iyar 18) occurs during the omer period, a time of mourning when obser- vant Jews refrain from weddings, haircuts and other pleasures. The omer period recalls a num- ber of tragedies for the Jewish people. One is when the stu- dents of Rabbi Akiva died of a plague in the second century C.E.; it is said to have stopped on this 33rd day of the count- ing of the omer— the 50 days of the harvest season between Passover and Shavuot. Lag b'Omer is a joyous day in this solemn period when the omer restrictions are lifted. Activities may include picnics and outings to parks. YOM HASHOAH/ Holocaust Memorial Day The State of Israel declared Yom HaShoah (Nisan 27) as a day to remember the victims of the Holocaust. Many communities organize memorial services and say Kaddish, the memori- Jr-- al prayer for the dead. At home, Jews may light a yellow yahrtzeit candle, which burns for 24 hours. The can- dles are available through local synagogues and temples and remind us of the infamous yellow stars Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust. YOM YERUSHALAYIM/Jerusalem Day Yom Yerushalayim was established to commemo- rate the Israeli reunification of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War of 1967 (Iyar 28). The morning service begins with the p'sukay d'zimra, preliminary prayers of Shabbat and holi- days, and Hallel (joyful psalms) are recited. A fes- tive meal is held, accompanied with many songs about or mentioning Jerusalem. SHAVUOT/ Festival Of Weeks Shavuot (Sivan 6-7), which celebrates God's reve- lation of the Torah on Mount Sinai, is a two-day festival that falls at the end of the omer period. It is traditional to decorate the synagogue or temple with flowers for Shavuot. Dairy foods are traditionally eaten because the Torah is likened to "milk and honey." Tikun Leil Shavuot, a night of study, is another tradition. The object is to stay up all night, or as late as possible, and study Jewish texts. 'NS IA /The Ninth Of Av On Tisha B'Av(Av 9), Jews fast until sundown to mourn the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. Tisha B'Av is marked by reading Eicha, the Book of Lamentations. FAST DAY OF 1 7 TAMUZ/The 17th of Tamuz This minor fast day (Tamuz 17) marks the breach- ing of the walls of Jerusalem during the period of the First Temple. Ruth Bergman, a Jewish educator, wrote this section, with additions by former JN copy editor Esther Tschirhart. JEWISH HISTORIC TIMF,TINE THE 1982: HOLOCAUST 1 411th, , 1933: FIRST JEWISH COMMUNITY COUNCIL IS ESTABLISHED. • ASSOCIATION FOR RESIDENTIAL CARE BEGINS. . • 1953: FIRST PATIENT COMMUNITY CENTER OPENS AT WOODWARD AND HOLBROOK 1937: JEWISH = . ADMITTED TO SINAI / HOSPITAL. i 1942: "THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS" GOES TO PRESS. 1958: HILLEL DAY SCHOOL ESTABLISHED. 36 • SOURCEBOOK 2 0 0 2 • JN 11973: 1CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON JCC IN WEST BLOOMFIELD. 197E: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN OFFERS JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM. 1940S: SPONSORSHIP OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IS OFFERED. page 35 MEMORIAL CENTER IS STARTED. 19£9: JEWISH 1987: THREE PLANELOADS OF DETROIT JEWS ATTEND WASHINGTON RALLY TO FREE SOVIET JEWS. 11988: JEWISH POPULATION 1 REACHES 96,000. 1999: SINAI HOSPITAL CLOSES, MERGED BY DMC INTO SINAI-GRACE. 11979: CARL LEVIN IS ELECTED U.S. SENATOR. 12000: JEWISH ACADEMY OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT, AN UNAFFILIATED DAY HIGH SCHOOL, OPENS TO 49 NINTH-AND 10TH-GRADERS.