Holidays

Shabbat

The day of rest and weekly observance of God’s completion of creation.

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year—a holiday observed with festive meals and a day spent in prayer or quiet meditation.

Yom Kippur

The Jewish Day of Atonement—the most solemn day of the Jewish year. A day devoted to self–examination, and the chance to begin the New Year with a clean slate.

Sukkot

A celebration of the fall harvest, this holiday also commemorates the time when the Hebrews dwelt in the Sinai wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.

Shemini Atzeret

Literally the “8th day of assembly,” this holiday marks the end of Sukkot with an annual prayer for rain.

Simchat Torah

The day marking the end and the beginning of the annual Torah reading cycle.

Hanukkah

A festival celebrating liberation from oppression, freedom of worship, and finding light in the darkest of times.

Tu B’Shevat

The Jewish “New Year of the Trees,” celebrated with observances that connect us to our environment and the natural world.

Purim

A day celebrating the saving of the Jews from a diabolical plot of destruction, as recounted in the Book of Esther.

Passover

A festival of freedom that marks the Hebrew exodus from Egypt long ago. 

Yom HaShoah 

The day Jews all over the world mourn the loss of six million Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust.

Yom HaZikaron 

A day commemorating the soldiers who have fallen fighting for Israel’s independence and defending its security.

Yom HaAtzmaut 

This holiday celebrates the independence of the Modern State of Israel.

Lag B’Omer

The holiday that marks the 33rd day of the 49-day “Omer” period between Passover and Shavuot.

Shavuot

The celebration of the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people, also known as the Festival of First Fruits.

Tisha B’Av

An important fast day commemorating the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE and 70 CE.

Tu B’Av

A Jewish celebration of love.