There are nine official holidays throughout the year in Israel. In our post today we will discuss the holidays in Israel, when they start and end, how many days off work or school you get and everything else you need to know.
Holidays in Israel
Public Israel holidays are different from public holidays anywhere else, mainly due to the fact the Israeli national holidays are primarily based on the religious Jewish holidays.
That is why all holidays start at sunset, as the Jewish tradition, and workplaces typically close down on the afternoon of the holiday’s eve. Some services resume their work the following evening, while most workers continue the holiday until the next morning.
Diverse Jewish traditions from around the world come together in Israel to create something truly unique, with Israelis inventing new and creative ways to celebrate.
Here are a few of the primary holidays and weekly traditions that you can look forward to:
- Passover – 1 day – Mar/Apr
- 7th day of Passover – 1 day – Mar/Apr
- Independence Day – 1 day – Apr/May
- Shavuot – 1 day – May/Jun
- Jewish New Year – 2 days – Sept/Oct
- Yom Kippur – 1 day – Sept/Oct
- Sukkot – 1 day – Sept/Oct
- Simchat Torah – 1 day – Sept/Oct
Note there is no determined Gregorian date for each holiday, as it is determined by the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar. The Hebrew lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year and uses the 19-year Metonic cycle to bring it into line with the solar year, with the addition of an intercalary month every two or three years, for a total of seven times per 19 years.
This means that the holidays are on a different Gregorian date each year, usually around the months we have specified. You can see the full list of holidays with updated dates in Wikipedia.
Of these holidays, Independence Day is supposed to be observed by all citizens, while others are Jewish religious holidays which non-Jewish communities can disregard. The school year has several optional formats approved by the Ministry of Education, one of which is chosen by the school principal in consideration of the local community’s religion and tradition.
Many businesses and government offices allow workers to choose an additional one or two days of leave out of the list of non-official holidays. Collective vacation is also a common practice in many Israeli workplaces and government offices during Chol HaMoed (between the first and seventh day of Passover).
Major Holidays in Israel
Passover
Passover, also called Pesach, is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of spring.
In the month leading up to Passover, stores start to dispose of their wheat products and move some of the not-Kosher-for-Passover foods off the shelves, and Israelis are entering a “cleaning for Passover” craze. None of the stores sell bread for the whole week, and even places like McDonald’s replace their hamburger buns with wheat-free versions.
It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover, called “Seder”, and many make their way to family or friends to spend the evening remembering the Exodus from Egypt and reading the Haggadah.
Independence Day
Independence Day (Hebrew: Yom Ha’atzmaut) is the national day of Israel, commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonies and observances.
Because Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, which corresponded with the Hebrew date 5 Iyar in that year, Yom Ha’atzmaut was originally celebrated on that date. However, to avoid Sabbath desecration, it may be commemorated one or two days before or after the 5th of Iyar if it falls too close to the Jewish Sabbath. Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day is always scheduled for the day preceding Independence Day.
Shavout
From Passover we count the 49 days of the Omer to Shavuot. known in English as the Feast of Weeks, this holiday occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Siva. In the Bible, Shavuot marked the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel. In addition, Orthodox rabbinic traditions teach that the date also marks the revelation of the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
It is common to eat meals rich in dairy for this holiday. The supermarkets stock many cheese and dairy products so that Israelis can prepare their favorite dishes. On many kibbutzim, there is a ceremony to remember the “first” offerings of the year – an agricultural reminder to bring the first fruits of the year to our Temple in Jerusalem, dating back more than two thousand years.
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
Rosh Hashanah, literally meaning “head [of] the year”, is the Jewish New Year. It is a two-day observance and celebration that begins on the first day of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year.
If you arrive in Israel in September, you will start your “year” along with the Jewish people in a celebration of Rosh Hashanah. Doing so, you will probably encounter new traditions along the way, like sounding the shofar (a cleaned-out ram’s horn), following the prescription of the Hebrew Bible to “raise a noise”, as well as enjoying festive meals and eating symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey, hoping to evoke a sweet new year, and a traditional dish: the head of a fish, symbolizing the “head” of the year.
Yom Kippur
Just ten days after bringing in the New Year, Israel essentially stops in its tracks for Yom Kippur. Literally ”Day of Atonement”, it is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a day-long fast, confession, and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.
From sundown on the evening before the Day of Atonement, stores and restaurants close down, cars stop driving, and a gentle quiet settles over Israel. You can walk down the middle of the street along with a multitude of Israelis coming out to experience the incredible stillness all around you.
Sukkot
Sukkot is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days from the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which those Israelites who could were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple at Jerusalem.
The first day is a Shabbat-like holiday when work is forbidden. This is followed by intermediate days called Chol Hamoed, when certain work is permitted. The festival is closed with another Shabbat-like holiday called Shemini Atzeret. In this period, Sukkot (little boots, a walled structure covered with palm branches roofs and creative decorations) start to appear on porches, in yards, and outside restaurants around the country. Traditionally, religious people should eat all their meals in a sukkah during Sukkot, intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
Simchat Torah
After seven days of sukkah hopping, it is time for Simchat Torah!
Many Israelis are on vacation between Sukkot and Simchat Torah, which makes it a great time of year for festivals and fairs.
Simchat Torah is a holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret (“Eighth Day of Assembly”), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei.
The main celebrations of Simchat Torah take place in the synagogue during evening and morning services. In Orthodox as well as many Conservative congregations, this is the only time of year on which the Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark and read at night. In the morning, the last parashah of Deuteronomy and the first parashah of Genesis are read in the synagogue.
On each occasion, when the ark is opened, the worshippers leave their seats to dance and sing with the Torah scrolls in a joyous celebration that can last for several hours.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, commonly called a menorah or hanukiah.
The Hebrew word Hanukkah means “dedication,” and is thus named because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. It begins on the eve of Kislev 25 and continues for eight days. On the civil calendar, it generally coincides with the month of December.
Originally instituted as a feast, it is a relatively minor holiday in strictly religious terms. Nevertheless, Hanukkah has attained major cultural significance in North America and elsewhere, especially among secular Jews, due to often occurring around the same time as Christmas during the holiday season.
Purim
Purim is the Jewish version of Halloween, as Israelis get a chance to dress up and party. Children start celebrating early, dressing up with a daily theme such as “kings and queens” or “pajama day.” On the night of Purim, you might arrive at a synagogue for the reading of the Megillah, or might go to a massive custom party. The sky’s the limit as locals create innovative costumes and celebrate in a massive street party that goes on until late in the night.
According to the Hebrew calendar, Purim is celebrated annually on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar (and it is celebrated on Adar II in Hebrew leap years which occur every two to three years), the day following the victory of the Jews over their enemies. In cities that were protected by a surrounding wall at the time of Joshua, Purim was celebrated on the 15th of the month of Adar on what is known as Shushan Purim, since fighting in the walled city of Shushan continued through the 14th day of Adar. Today, only Jerusalem and a few other cities celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar.
Weekends
Weekends in Israel are Friday to Saturday. The law designates 36 hours of weekly holiday from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning, but most businesses and offices are closed all day on Fridays.
Non-Jews may choose Friday, Saturday or Sunday as their main weekly holiday, while Jews may not work on Saturday, unless their workplace is open on Saturdays with a special permit.