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Jewish Holidays
For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.
 — Ecclesiastes 3:1
The Jewish year is based on a joint lunar-solar cycle which runs approximately 354 days in most years. This explains why the same Jewish holiday may fall on different days of the 365-day secular calendar from year to year. Also, secular calendars usually list only the day of the holiday rather than noting that Jewish holidays really begin at sunset on the preceding evening. Holidays frequently involve family or synagogue events. On some holidays (noted with an asterisk), abstaining from school, work and other activities is also part of the observance for many Jews. We hope this calendar will serve as a handy guide.

If you need further information, or to request additional copies, please call the Federation's Community Relations Department at 216.566.9200 or e-mail crc@jcfcleve.org.




Shabbat (The Sabbath)*: A day of rest. Begins every Friday at sunset and concludes at sunset on Saturday.
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)*: Marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year and includes elements of celebration and atonement.

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)*: The most solemn Holy Day. Devoted to fasting and praying for forgiveness and a good year.

Sukkot (Festival of Booths/Harvest Festival): Commemorates the Biblical period when Jews wandered in the desert, as well as the autumn harvest. Observed by building a temporary outdoor shelter where meals are eaten. Some people may also sleep in the booths overnight. *The first two days are observed as Holy Days.

Shemini Atzeret (The Eighth Day of Assembly)*: Celebration after the conclusion of Sukkot. Simchat Torah (Rejoicing with the Torah)*: Celebrates the completion of the annual cycle of reading the Torah (Five Books of Moses).

Chanukah (Festival of Lights): Commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after regaining independence from the ancient Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Celebrated by lighting candles for eight nights.

Tu B'Shvat (New Year for Trees): In Biblical times, all fruit that ripened on trees between one Tu B'Shvat and the next was tithed together. In modern times, it has evolved into a day to plant trees and to celebrate the environment.

Purim (Holiday of Joy): Festival celebrating the rescue of Jews from annihilation in ancient Persia. Passover (Pesach/Festival of Freedom): Recounts the deliverance of Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt. This 8-day observance includes special dietary rules. *The first two and last two days are observed as Holy Days.

Yom Hashoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day): Commemorates the loss of over six million Jews and other peoples during the Holocaust.

Yom Hazikaron/Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Memorial Day/Israel Independence Day): Honors Israeli soldiers who were killed establishing and defending the State of Israel, followed by a day celebrating the establishment of the Israeli State in 1948.

Lag B'Omer (33rd Day of the Omer/Day of Rejoicing): A break in the period of partial mourning between Passover and Shavuot.

Shavuot (Festival of Weeks)*: Marks the Revelation of the Ten Commandments (Decalogue) at Mount Sinai. Confirmation ceremonies may require synagogue attendance for 9th and 10th graders and their families.

Tisha B'Av (The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av): A day of mourning and fasting to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the many other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people on this day throughout Jewish history.


* These are Holy Days and carry with them significant restrictions on work.