Sabbath                                        The most important of all Holy Days; the traditional day of prayer and rest when Jews refrain from normal weekday activities.

Rosh Ha Shanah                         The Jewish New Year. The first of the High Holy Days marked by solemn religious observance.

Yom Kippur                                 The Day of Atonement. The most solemn of Jewish Holy Days, devoted to prayer, fasting and repentance.

Sukkot                                          The Festival of Tabernacles. Also a harvest festival of thanksgiving. It derives its name from the fragile booths in which the Israelites lived after their deliverance from Egypt. The pilgrims used it as a model for the American Thanksgiving.

Simchat Torah                            The reading of the Torah (Five Books of Moses) is concluded

                                                      and begun anew in the synagogue.

Chanukah                                    The Festival of Lights. It is an eight-day festival observing      the first recorded battle for religious liberty, and

                                                      the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees. Candle lighting and family gatherings mark the holiday.

Tu b’Shevat                                  The fifteenth of Shevat, the New Year for Trees.  A festival that marks the date from which to count the age of a tree for reasons of tithe and fruit maturation. In modern times it has become a form of Arbor Day and is observed with a seder.

Purim                                           A festival of merry-making, commemorating the defeat of the Persian tyrant Haman who sought to secure power by making scapegoats of the Jews. The Book of Esther is read in the synagogue. Gifts are exchanged and distributed to the poor.

Pesach                                          The Festival of Freedom. It celebrates Israelite deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The festival lasts eight days during which matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten in place of bread products. The traditional seder ceremony is held in homes the first two evenings and commemorates the historical ideal of freedom.

Shavuot                                         Commemorates ancient Israel’s acceptance of the Law (Torah) and the covenant established between God and Israel on Mt. Sinai. It also celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments.