Rabbi & Rebbetzin's Corner May 2025

Shalom Mishpocha,

        May, the 5th month of the year has arrived! May is likely named after the Roman goddess Maia in Latin, who oversaw the growth of plants. May is A.A.P.I Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and Jewish American Heritage month! Monday, May 5th, 2025, is Cinco de Mayo , an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, however, and a larger French force ultimately defeated the Mexican army at the Second Battle of Puebla and then occupied Mexico City. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, a popular misconception.

More popular in the United States than in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. Celebrations began in Columbia, California, where they have been observed annually since 1862. The day gained nationwide popularity beyond those of Mexican-American heritage in the 1980s due to advertising campaigns by beer, wine, and tequila companies; today, Cinco de Mayo generates beer sales on par with the Super Bowl. In Mexico, the commemoration of the battle continues to be mostly ceremonial, such as through military parades or battle reenactments. The city of Puebla marks the event with various festivals and reenactments of the battle.
The most important date in May is “Mother’s Day” on May 11th, 2025. On May 11th, 2000, Congregation Zion’s Sake held its very first Shabbat Service! This month, Sunday May 11th, 2025, will mark our silver, 25th anniversary as a Congregation!

        At the end of this month, we celebrate Memorial Day on Monday May 26th, 2025. Memorial Day is a US federal holiday wherein the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces are remembered. The holiday, which is celebrated every year on the final Monday of May, was formerly known as Decoration Day and originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.

Memorial Day is the start of summer for some, time to picnic for others, a three-day weekend for all but it is a day to remember those who have fallen for freedom, those who have given their lives to defend this Republic and liberate oppressed people around the world!
 
What we remember—and honor—on Memorial Day are the fallen. We acknowledge those who nobly gave of themselves unto death, for a purpose they believed was greater than themselves. Since the days just following the end of the Civil War, Americans have gathered in late May to honor those who died in military service to their country. In the spirit of the day, we can also recall, honor, and pray for all those we know who have lived lives of service and sacrifice for the good of others. On Memorial Day we remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, those who have fallen in service to our country! We honor and remember the fact that our collective, national identity is rooted in their sacrifice.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. –President Ronald Reagan in an address to the annual meeting of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, (30 March 1961)

We pray you have a wonderful and blessed month of May!

Blessings!
 
Rabbi & Rebbetzin Eric S Carlson