Jewish Holidays

Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment and the Day of Remembrance, the beginning of the Hebrew year and the opening of the Days of Awe.

Yom Kippur is the central day of fasting and atonement in the Hebrew calendar, a day of repentance and purification.

Sukkot is the Festival of Ingathering and the Festival of Booths, commanding Israel to dwell in the sukkah and take the Four Species.

Shemini Atzeret is a separate festival day, on which Simchat Torah is celebrated — the completion and renewal of the Torah reading cycle.

Pesach is the Festival of Freedom, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, featuring the Seder night and the prohibition of leaven.

Shavuot is the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of First Fruits.

Hanukkah is an eight-day festival commemorating the miracle of the oil and the Maccabean victory over the Greeks.

Purim is the festival of victory over Haman's plot, as told in the Book of Esther.

Tisha B'Av is a day of fasting and mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

Asara BeTevet is a fast day commemorating the siege of Jerusalem that preceded the destruction of the First Temple.

Ta'anit Esther is a fast day before Purim, commemorating the fast of Queen Esther before she went to the king.

Shiva Asar BeTammuz is a fast day that opens the Three Weeks, the period of mourning before Tisha B'Av.

Tu BiShvat is the New Year for Trees, a day marking the renewal of vegetation in the Land of Israel.

Lag BaOmer is the day the mourning for Rabbi Akiva's disciples ends, and the hillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

Tu B'Av is a day of joy and love, on which the daughters of Israel would go out and dance in the vineyards.

Sefirat HaOmer is a biblical commandment to count the days from the day after the first day of Pesach until Shavuot.

Rosh Chodesh is the beginning of each month in the Hebrew calendar, a day of special significance and certain customs.

Shabbat is the weekly day of rest, a biblical commandment, on which labor is prohibited and rest and delight are commanded.

Yom HaShoah is a national day of remembrance for the martyrs of the Holocaust and the heroism of resisters and survivors.

Yom HaZikaron is a national day of remembrance for Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.

Yom HaAtzma'ut is the national holiday of the State of Israel, commemorating the Declaration of Independence in 1948.

Yom Yerushalayim is a national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the liberation of the Western Wall in the Six-Day War.