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Jewish Calendar - 2008/9 - 5768/69/70

Festivals and Fasts always begin as it gets dark the day before the event, and end (unless the event is more than a day long) once it is dark on the evening of the date specified.

During a "Yom Tov" Jewish people observing the festival will not work, answer the telephone etc., similar to on Shabbat. For events which last for 8 days the first two days and last two days are "Yom Tov". The four days in between Yom Tov are treated as working days, despite the ongoing festival. Hanukkah is the exception, as every day is a working day, with candles being lit as part of the daily evening celebrations. Most single and two day events are not considered working days.

Basic information about each event can be found at the bottom of this page, or by clicking on the event in question. If you need more information about a festival or the times it runs for, then please don't hesistate to get in touch with the JPA.

So - what are these all about then...

Tu B’Shevat - the New Year for Trees, which originally signified the date by
which the produce of trees was measured for tax purposes in ancient Israel,
but now has become a time for collecting money to plant trees in Israel both
as a way of assisting attempts to reclaim land from the desert and to show
support for the Land of Israel and those who live in it.

Purim - the “Feast of Lots” which commemorates the events recorded in the
Book of Esther when Haman tried to kill the Jews living in the kingdom of
Shushan (he set the date for his planned extermination by casting lots).
The Jews were saved thanks to the efforts of Esther,a Jewish woman who had
recently married the King, but the episode carries the larger themes of
anti-semitism and standing up for one’s beliefs.

Erev Pesach - the evening before Passover and the start of the festival

Pesach - Passover, which recalls the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in
Egypt and the beginning of their 40 year trek through the wilderness to the
Promised Land, It is celebrated by services and also a festive meal with
special foods that each symbolise a different aspect of those events. It also
has the universal theme of freedom from oppression for all peoples, as
epitomised by Moses’ cry “Let my people go”.

Yom HaShoah - the day that recalls the Holocaust and the murder of 6 million
Jews during the Second World War (1939-1945) as a deliberate policy of
genocide by the Nazis

Yom Hazikaron - Remembrance day in Israel for those who have died during the
various wars that the State has had to fight since its inception in 1948 in
order to maintain its survival.

Lag B’Omer - a minor festival that is now of significance in that it is the
only day in an overall 49 day period in which marriages are permitted.

Yom Yerushalaym - Jerusalem Day, which celebrates the re-unification of
Jerusalem after the capture of the Eastern part of the city in June 1967.
Prior to that it had been divided betwen Israel and Jordan, while prior to
Israel’s independence in 1948 it had not been in Jewish hands since the year
70.

Erev Shavuot - the evening before Shavuot and the start of the festival

Shavuot - Feast of Weeks, referring to the seven weeks it took the israelites
leavign Egypt to reach Mount Sinai, where a revelation witnessed by the whole
people took place and they received many laws, including the Ten Commandments.

Tisha B’Av - a fast day which commemorates the destruction of the first
temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the destruction of the
second temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE

Rosh Hashanna - the Jewish New Year; a solemn occasion that involves
reflection on the past 12 months and a determination to improve one’s conduct
in the coming year. It starts a 10 day period during which one should try to rectify
the mistakes that were made in the past and apologise to the people one hurt.

Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement. It is spent all day in synagogue in prayer,
atoning for one’s lapses. It is customary not to eat or drink throughout the period
as a sign of penitence.

Sukkot - Feast of Tabernacles, which recalls the wanderings of the Israelites
during the 40 years in the wilderness, and which also reminds of the frailty of life.
It is suall to build a sukkah - temporary hut - in one’s garden from wood and
decorated with fruit, and to spend time in it during the festival

Simchat Torah - Rejoicing of the Law. Festival that celebrates the completion
of the weekly readings from the Five Books of Moses by reading the last chapter
of Deuteronomy and then restarting the cycle again with the opening chapter of
Genesis. It is often accompanied by dancing with the Scrolls of the Law in synagogue.

Hanukkah - Feast of Dedication. It celebrates both a political victory - the
liberation of Jerusalem in 167 B.C.E. from the Syrians - and the spiritual survival
of Judaism, which was threatened by the Syrian attempts to eradicate the faith.
Largely a domestic festival, marked by lighting a candelabra at home for eight
successive nights.