The Charlotte Jewish News- May 2026- Page 30

By Sara Solar

May has always been one of my favorite months of the year and for one very simple reason: it’ s my birthday month. I am a huge believer in celebrating birthdays, no matter what your age. I love when a child comes into story time and proudly announces that it’ s their birthday or that their birthday is coming soon( even if“ soon” means nine months away!)

At one point, I found myself curious about birthdays in Judaism and did a little Googling. Interestingly, the only birthday mentioned in the Torah is that of Pharaoh. Not exactly the role model we’ re all aiming for. Of course, we also know that milestone birthdays, like turning 13,

are deeply meaningful in Jewish life, marking the celebrations of bar and bat mitzvah.

But the more I think about birthdays, the more I believe we should all embrace the childlike joy that comes with celebrating them. It’ s a day that happens only once a year and one to feel special and appreciated. Personally, I want the full celebration. I want to wear a birthday crown. I want people to wish me well. I want to eat a delicious meal and, of course, have cake. I’ m also a firm believer that everyone should unwrap at least one present on their birthday.

As I’ ve gotten older, and especially since becoming a mother myself, I’ ve also started to see birthdays a little differently. Birthdays aren’ t only about celebrating ourselves. They’ re also a wonderful opportunity to think about our mothers and how much the day of our birth meant to them. After all, they’ re the ones who really did all the work that day. And wouldn’ t you know it but May is also the month when we celebrate mothers.

Mothers play a vital role in Judaism. Jewish mothers are often described as the foundation of the Jewish home, serving as the primary transmitters of faith, tradition, and Jewish identity. In Judaism, a child’ s Jewish identity is traditionally determined by whether or not their mother is Jewish. Jewish mothers light the Shabbat candles, create Jewish homes filled with rich traditions, and pass down customs from one generation to the next.

Of course, there are plenty of jokes and stereotypes about Jewish mothers being a little overprotective or perhaps just a bit too involved. But behind the humor is something very real: Jewish mothers love fiercely. They worry, they cook, they check that you’ re wearing a sweater, and they somehow always know when you haven’ t eaten enough.

So, this May, celebrate your mother. And when your birthday comes around, don’ t be shy about celebrating that too. Go ahead, announce it loudly, maybe even from the top of Mt. Sinai. Wear the crown. Enjoy a wonderful meal. Eat lots of cake. Actually, let’ s make it cheesecake, which happens to be my birthday cake of choice. And speaking of Mt. Sinai and cheesecake, Shavuot often falls during the month of May as well, which is yet another wonderful reason to love this month.

To learn more about PJ Library, contact Sara Solar at sara. solar @ jewishcharlotte. org.

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Pick up your copy of the book. Read it over the summer. Discuss the book and celebrate with fellow readers!

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Starting June 7,

at a local ice cream shop!

at the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library

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