Main Article
Yom HaZikaron, also known as Israel Remembrance Day, occurs on 4 Iyar (in April or May). It is a day to remember those who fought for Israeli independence. Kaddish, the prayer for the dead is said on this day. This holiday honors veterans and fallen military personnel of the Israel Defense Forces and other Israeli security services who died in the modern Arab Israeli conflict, as well as fallen members of the Jewish Brigade, and of the various paramilitary organization of the Yishuv, such as the Haganah and Irgun, who died before the establishment of Israel (starting from 1860, when Mishkenot Sha'ananim, the first modern Jewish settlement outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, was built). Yom Hazikaron also commemorates civilians murdered by acts of terrorism.¹

Yom HaAtzmaut, also known as Israel Independence Day, occurs on 5 Iyar (in April or May). It is a day of celebration commemorating the day Israel declared its independence. The Chief Rabbinate along with many other religious authorities declared that Yom Ha'atzmaut is one of the Jewish holidays in which Hallel should be said. Many Israelis celebrate the day with picnics. On the eve of the holiday, people sing and dance in the streets. Balconies are decorated with Israeli flags, and small flags are attached to car windows.²

Lag B'Omer is the thirty-third day in the counting of the Omer and occurs on 18 Iyar (in April or May). The mourning practices of the Omer period are lifted on that date. It is celebrated by family gatherings, picnics, and the celebration of Yahrtzeit at the graves of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Rabbi Elazar b’Rabbi Shimon.

Yom Yerushalayim occurs on 28 Iyar (in April or May) and is the celebration of the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. It is a day of national celebration and remembrance of those who fought for the reunification of the eternal capital of Israel. The day is marked by state ceremonies, memorial services for soldiers who died in the battle for Jerusalem, parades through downtown Jerusalem, reciting the Hallel prayer in synagogues, lectures on Jerusalem-related topics, singing and dancing, and special television programming. Schoolchildren throughout the country learn about significance of Jerusalem, and schools in Jerusalem hold festive assemblies. The day is also marked in Jewish schools around the world.³

Daled - Hebrew 1. Fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; 2. Represents the number four

Haaretz - Hebrew 1. The earth; 2. An Israeli Newspaper

Lag B'Omer - Hebrew The thirty-third day in the counting of the Omer

Pamotot (pl.) - Hebrew Candlesticks

Ta'amim - Hebrew Symbols above and below the letters of a Chumash acting as musical symbols for the tunes used to chant the Torah

Yad - Hebrew A pointer used when reading the Torah Scroll