Holidays 101

10th of Tevet is typically during December where Jews fast to remember the day when the Babylonians first laid siege to Jerusalem. This began the long history disasters for the Jewish people

Tu B'Shvat is typically during January is a holiday that celebrates the New Year for the Trees. We celebrate of connection to the environment and we are thankful to the Land of Israel for the fruits it gave us.

Purim is typically celebrated in March. It is the holiday of joy. Jews get dressed up and be merry as we recognize the Jews of Persia as they escaped abolishment.

Passover is typically celebrated during the month of April. Jews celebrate this holiday for personal liberation and fulfillment. It is a time when the family gets together and enjoys time as a family.

Holocaust Remembrance Day is celebrated on the first of May. It honors the memory of six million by learning about their heroism during an inhumane time and remembers the impact of anti-Semitism. Interesting fact: in Israel on this day there is a siren that is sounded for six minutes long. During this time everyone puts down what their doing pulls over in their cars even on the hwy and stands silent for six whole minutes in honor of those who were killed.

Israel Memorial Day is celebrated in May. It is celebrated to memorialize Israel and its strong soldiers who give their lives to protect the Jewish people in the highest order.

Israel Independence Day is celebrated during the month of May. On this holiday we celebrate the historic return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel as a modern and historical miracle.

Yom Yerushalayim is celebrated during the month of June. This holiday celebrates the anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification of the Holy City and the significance of a Jewish nation.

Shavuot is celebrated during the month of June. This is the holiday that celebrates the day the Torah was given to its Jewish people on Mount Sinai.

Tisha B'Av and the 3 Weeks is celebrated during the month of July and August. This is the first major fasting holiday where we remember the day the Temple was destroyed twice.

The High Holidays is celebrated during the month of September or October. This two High Holiday are the most important holidays on the entire Jewish calendar. All around the world those Jews who are not extremely religious go to synagogue on these two days. Rosh Hashana celebrates the New Year. It is a day of sweetness and ripening. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement when the Jewish people atone for a month long.

Sukkot is celebrated during the month of October. This is the celebration of the harvest. This Holiday is the festival of Booths. We use the Lulav and Etrog as key symbols and we camp under the stars for seven days and remember the twelve tribes of Israel and Gods protection.

Posted by: JK

Hanukkah

Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, is an annual Jewish holiday spanning over eight days. It begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev which may fall anywhere between late November to late December.

The holiday is meant to commemorate the re-dedication of the Temple after it was defaced by Antiochus IV. You've probably heard of the story of the miracle oil which was only expected to burn for one day, but lasted for eight.


The festival is practiced by lighting the candles of the Menorah on each night of the holiday; one candle on the first night, two on the second and so on. Each night, the candles are expected to burn for at least half an hour after it gets dark. Three blessings are recited just before lighting the candles the first night of Hanukkah, and only the first two of the three blessings for the remaining seven days. A prayer is then said after the candles have been lit.

Potato pancakes, or latkes, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah. It is customary to eat fried food or food cooked in oil (preferably olive oil) to honor the original miracle of the lighting of the Menorah using oil.


Another common association with Hanukkah is the dreidel, which is a four-sided spinning toy with a Hebrew letter imprinted on each side. After lighting the candles of the Menorah, it is customary to follow it up with the dreidel game. Each player starts with 10 or 15 markers, usually chocolate coins, nuts, raisins or other candies and place on in the "pot". Then, a player spins the dreidel and depending on which character it lands on, they carry out the appropriate action.

* Nun - nisht - "not" - nothing happens and the next player spins
* Gimel - gants - "all" - the player takes the entire pot
* Hey - halb - "half" - the player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number
* Shin - shtel ayn - "put in" - the player puts one marker in the pot

Hanukkah gelt, or money, is often given to the children during Hanukkah to help them enjoy the holiday more.

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is perhaps the most important holiday of Judaism. During Yom Kippur you are to abstain from eating, drinking, wearing leather shoes, bathing or washing, putting on perfumes or lotion, and marital relations--better known as sex. Of course, these restrictions may be levied if they inflict upon ones life or health. For example, young children (under the age of 9) and pregnant women may not fast, even if they wish to do so. On this day, as the name would suggest, those who practice Judaism atone for their sins over the past year. Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, praying. It is also customary to wear white on this holiday.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holiday4.html