Jewish Holidays

Rosh HaShanah (“Head of the Year”) falls on the first and second days of Tishri and is the first of ten days called the Jewish High Holy Days. It is commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year, where we examine our own lives and deeds.

Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”) is observed on the tenth day of Tishri. In the nine days following Rosh HaShanah we repent for our sins of the past year. Yom Kippur is the day that our fates are sealed for the year ahead.

Sukkot commemorates the type of hut the Israelites built and lived in during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after their Exodus from Egypt.

Simchat Torah ("rejoicing in the law") is celebrated the eighth day of Sukkot.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, begins on the 25th day of Kislev. The most memorable part of the celebration is the lighting of the candles on a menorah or hanukkiah: one for each night that has been celebrated, plus the shamash (helper) candle.

Tu BiShvat is celebrated on the 15^th (tu) of Sh’vat (typically in January or February) and is frequently referred to as “Jewish Arbor Day” or “Jewish Earth Day.” Originally, the holiday was believed to represent the end of the fiscal year for fruit-bearing trees. 

Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar and comes from the Book of Esther. The reading of The Megillah has turned into one of the most festive days in the Jewish calendar. This partially stems from the saying of the Talmud that one should drink until we can no longer distinguish between Haman and Mordechai's name. 

Pesach, or Passover, begins at sundown on the 14th day of Nissan (usually in April, sometimes at the end of March) and lasts for seven or eight days. It is the most commonly observed holiday in the Jewish community. Its themes of freedom and remembrance remain relevant from year to year as each new generation learns the story of Moses’ birth and the Exodus of the Jewish people out of Egypt and into the holy land.

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is celebrated on the 27th of Nisan (typically in April/May). Many pray for those who passed in the Holocaust, with a special emphasis on those who may have no one left to mourn for them. It is also important to remember those Righteous Gentiles who saved Jewish lives, often at great peril to their own, and to honor their deeds and courage.

Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) honors Israeli veterans, fallen soldiers, and Israeli civilians killed by terrorist acts. Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) is celebrated with parades, family gatherings, and dancing. 

Between the second day of Pesach and the celebration of Shavuot, we are commanded to count the Omer, an ancient Hebrew measure of grain.

Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Shavuot is one of the few holidays whose Torah reading focuses on the story of Jewish women; on Shavuot, we read the Book of Ruth.

Tishah B’Av, “the ninth of Av” (typically July or August), is considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. The holiday traditionally commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples. However, because Reform Judaism does not focus on the religious role of the Temple, we observe the date in memory of various tragedies faced by the Jewish people.