April 15 1865 – 19 Nisan 5625
Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Best known for abolishing slavery, Lincoln was also sympathetic to Jews, expressing his disgust with the “Know-Nothing Party” and its platform of bigotry and anti-Semitism. He was the first leader to appoint a Jewish ambassador (to Switzerland) and the first U.S. president to approve the appointment of Jewish chaplains. Ironically, the Great Liberator was shot during Passover, the festival of freedom.