Celebrating Jewish unity on Lag B'Omer

The holiday which starts the evening of May 4, and ends the evening of May 5, (on the Hebrew calendar it is the 18th of Iyar) celebrates the life of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and celebrates Jewish unity. It is on the 33rd day of the Omer.

The holiday marks the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. Three year-old-boys often get their first haircut on that day.

It is celebrated as a break from semi-mourning when people have bonfires, parades, and picnics. Weddings are allowed and picnic foods are often eaten. Hot dogs and marshmallows are roasted. Steaks, kebabs, and fi...