Haman
The king’s vizier (adviser), a main character in the Purim story. Haman wants everyone in the kingdom to bow down to him, but Mordechai (a Jew) refuses. This leads Haman to decide to kill all the Jews, and he convinces the king to allow the plan.
matanot la-evyonim
“Presents for the poor” (Hebrew). Tzedakah (charitable giving) in honor of Purim.
Mordechai
A main character of the Purim story, Mordechai was Esther’s cousin, who raised her after her parents died. He saves the king’s life when he overhears a plot against the king.
Maccabees
The family of five sons who led the revolt against the Hellenization of Jerusalem and became the heroes of the Hanukkah story.
Tishah B’Av
A day of mourning for the destruction of the First Temple and the Second temple in Jerusalem in ancient times. It is observed as a minor fast day. It falls in late July or early August and is observed in some, but not all, Reform communities.
1948 - State of Israel
The year the modern State of Israel was founded.
1967 - Six-Day War
A war in Israel fought on June 5-10, 1967 against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Because of the Six-Day War, Jerusalem was reunified and Jews gained access to the Western Wall. Israel also took control of the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Sinai Peninsula.
1973 - The Yom Kippur War
A war between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. The war began on October 6, 1973 (on Yom Kippur) and lasted until October 25, 1973.
Gaza Strip
A small strip of land on the southeast corner of Israel that was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
Green Line
Also known as the 1949 Armistice border, it marks the border between Israel and its neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria). It was named the Green Line after the color of the ink used to draw the line on the map in 1949.