Jewish Holidays

In the fall, Jewish communities the world over observe what is known in Hebrew as Hayamim Hanoraim(the Days of Awe). This 10-day period opens with Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) celebrated for two days, and concludes with the one-day observance of Yom Kippur(Day of Atonement). The 10 days are a time for reflecting on the […]

Sukkot begins five days after Yom Kippur and is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration. It is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals of ancient Israel. Sukkot is a very exciting time at Kol Ami. Our teenagers are available to […]

Simchat Torah, which means “Rejoicing in Torah,” occurs on the last day of Sukkot. It is a celebration marking the conclusion of one and the beginning of another annual cycle of reading from the Torah. On Erev Simchat Torah we mark the Consecration of students who are beginning their religious school education, as we welcome […]

Hanukkah, or the Festival of Rededication, celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. We celebrate by lighting one more candle on the chanukiah after each day of Hanukkah. We eat foods cooked in oil, such as latkes and jelly doughnuts; and we sing songs and play dreidel games. Be sure to […]

Tu BiSh’vat, also called the New Year of the Trees, is observed on the 15th (tu) day of Sh’vat. Scholars believe that Tu BiSh’vat was originally an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.C.E. this holiday was a way for Jews to symbolically bind themselves to their […]

Purim, or the Feast of Lots, is a joyous holiday that is recounted in the Book of Esther. It tells of the saving of the Jews during the Persian Period (539-330BCE). Purim is celebrated by the reading of the Scroll of Esther, known in Hebrew as the Megillat Esther, which relates the basic story of […]

The Haggadah transforms us into storytellers; we are the feeders of history. We enlighten, impart, lead, and illuminate one another with lively discussions and creative Seders. Passover is an exquisite opportunity to tell the stories of our people, to remind ourselves that the journey to freedom is ongoing and to inspire each other to acts […]

Children and adults join together in the sacred task of memory and hope as we remember together the destruction of European Jewry. Survivors of the Shoah, together with our students, witness together the possibilities of courage, goodness and hope. Check the calendar for the date of this very special service. A Message from the Kol Ami […]

The period between Pesach and Shavuot is called the “Counting of the Omer” (sefirat ha’omer), after the ancient rite of the bringing of the first sheaf (omer) of the barley harvest to the priest (Lev. 23:9-14). Lag Ba’Omer is the shorthand way of saying the thirty-third day of the omer. It is celebrated to commemorate the […]

Shavuot is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals of ancient Israel and occurs seven weeks after Passover.  Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Like so many other Jewish holidays, Shavuot began as an ancient agricultural festival, marking the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer […]

Tisha B’Av, the ninth (Tisha) of Av, commemorates the destruction of both Temples (the first in 586 BCE and the second in 70 CE). A brief history of the building and destruction of the First and Second Temples. The First Temple in Jerusalem was constructed during the reign of King Solomon (965 b.c.e.–925 b.c.e.). Solomon’s […]