Jewish Holiday And Calander

JEWISH HOLIDAY AND CALANDER

ROSH HASHANAH Tue - Wed Sat-Sun Sep 23-24

Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year, the literal meaning of Rosh Hashanah is head of the year. The beginning of this holiday marks a 10 day period of prayer, self examination and repentance, which culminate of the fast days of Yom Kippur. The ten days are actually referred to as Yamin Noraim which means the days of awe or the high holy days. One of the unique aspects to this holiday is the souruning of the shofar, using challah, eating apples, honey, and other sweet foods for a sweet new year.

YOM KIPPUR Mon Oct 2

This is considered to be the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Fasting is seen as fulfilling this biblical commandment. One of the customs is for Jews to seek out friends and family whom they feel they have wronged and ask for forgiveness. The fasting enables them to concentrate on their spiritual needs through prayer, repentance and self-improvement by putting aside physical desires.

SUKKOT Sat - Fri OCT 7-13

Sukkot is celebrated five days after Yom Kipper and has many distinct traditions. Sukkot comes from a Hebrew word meaning booths or huts. This Jewish festival is in commemoration of the forty years of Jewish wandering in the desert after Sinai as well as giving thanks to the fall harvest. One of the traditions is to build a sukkah (booth or hut) and reside in them temporally were they eat and live during sukkot holiday.

ATZERET/ SIMCHAT TORAH Sat OCT 14

The Hebrew meaning of Simchat Torah is "rejoicing in the law". Simchat Torah is the celebration of the completions of the annual reading of the Torah, which is very joyous and fruitful. This holiday they affirm the view of the Torah as a tree of life and demonstrate living example of never-ending, lifelong study. One of the traditions is the Torah scrolls are taken from the ark and carrier or dance around the synagogue seven times. Even more the conclusion ends when the Deuteronomy is read and then the opening section of the B'reishit is read.

CHANUKAH Sat-Sat Dec 16-23

This holiday is for the commemoration of the victory of the Macabees over the armies in Syria in 165 B.C.E. and subsequent liberation and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. This holiday is an eight day joyous celebration with unique foods, jelly doughnuts and special songs and games. The Hebrew meaning of Chanukah is dedication.

TU BISH'VAT Mon Feb 13

Tu BiSh'vat is the Jewish Arbor Day, which the Hebrew meaning is "New Year of the Trees." Scholars believe this was the marking of the emergence of spring however today it has become a tree planting festival in Israel. However both Israelis and Jews around the world can be seen planting trees, the trees symbolize the memory of a love one or friend.

PURIM Tue Mar 14

Purim is celebrated by the reading of the Scroll of Esther which is the only book of the bible is which God is not mentioned. This holiday commemorates the rescue of the Jewish people in ancient Persia. Purim is more of a celebration of not how it began but the Jewish survived against the odds. Feasts, special prayers, and sending of gifts to friends a family are a few other forms of celebrating Purim besides reading the scroll of Esther.

PESACH Thu-Thu Apr 13-20

Known as the Passover in English this is a major Jewish Spring Festival. They read from a book called the hagaddah, meaning "telling," which contains the order of prayers, rituals, readings and songs for the Pesach seder. The Pesach seder is the only ritual meal in the Jewish calendar year for which such an order is prescribed, hence its name. Pesach is the commeration of the Exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago.

YOM HASHOAH Tue Apr 25

This is a memorial day for those who died in the Shoad, and is also known as the Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Hebrew Shoah means catastrophe or utter destruction and refers to the atrocities that happened in World War II

YOM HAZIKARON

Israel Defense Forces Memorial Day

YOM HAATZMA-UT Wed May 3

This is Israeli Independence Day, marks the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948. Many add special thanksgiving prayers and other festive activities.

LAG BAOMER Tue May 16

It is celebrated to commemorate the day a plague ended in which 24,000 students died during the counting of the Omer. The mourning is set aside on Lag Ba'Omer making this day a joyous festival, and is even the only day in a 49 day period that weddings are permitted. "The Book of Leviticus (23:15-16) also commanded: "And from the day on which you bring the offeringÐ'...you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete." This commandment led to the practice of the Sefirat Ha'omer, or the forty-nine days of the "Counting of the Omer". The omer is counted from the second day of Passover and ends on Shavuot."

http://urj.org/holidays/baomer/

SHAVUOT