Rosh
Hashanah - New Year Marks the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the ten
days of awe, a period of penitence and spiritual renewal.
Yom
Kippur - Day of Atonement We fast as we reflect upon our lives and seek forgiveness
from God and from one another.
Sukkot
- Festival of Booths We remember the 40 years of wandering when the Jews left
Egypt by living in booths (sukkot), and celebrate the Fall harvest
in Israel.
Shemini
Atzeret and Simchat Torah - Rejoicing in the Law
We conclude Sukkot and rejoice in the study of Torah as we complete
the reading of the Torah and then begin anew.
Hanukkah
- Festival of Lights
Lights, dreidles and latkes recall the victory of the Maccabees
over the Syrian Hellenists, who oppressed the Jewish people,
and rededication of the Temple which had been defiled.
Tu
B'Shevat -Jewish Arbor Day
Sometimes called the Jewish Environmental Day or Arbor Day, Tu
B'Shevat celebrates the new year for the trees.
Purim
- Feast of Lots
Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews of Persia was foiled
by Queen Esther of Mordechai. We recount the story by reading
the Megillah.
Pesach
- Passover
We celebrate ancient Israel’s redemption from slavery,
and retell contemporary tales of Jewish liberation at a seder.
Yom
Ha-Shoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day We remember the 6 million Jews who perished during the
Holocaust and the destruction of European Jewry.
Yom
Ha-Atzma'ut - Israel Independence Day Proceeded by Yom Ha-Zikaron, Israel Memorial Day. We joyously
celebrate the establishment of the modern State of Israel in
1948.
Shavuot
- Feast of Weeks We commemorate the covenant established between God and
the Jewish people by the giving of the Torah, and the harvest
of first fruits in Israel. Tenth Grade confirmation is held
on this day.
Tisha
B'Av - Ninth of Av We fast to remember the destruction of the First and Second
Temples in Jerusalem.