Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)
2023-10-06 - 2023-10-08, 2024-10-23 - 2024-10-25
Coming at the conclusion of Sukkot are the two holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah . In Israel and among more liberal Jews they are combined into one holiday on the day after the conclusion of Sukkot . Among more traditional Jews outside of Israel, they are observed separately from one another on two consecutive days. Shemini Atzeret means the “Eighth Day of Assembly,” while Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in Torah.”They mark the conclusion of the annual reading cycle of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses that make up the Jewish Bible. Jews celebrate the Torah by dancing and singing, followed by reading the last word of Deuteronomy and the first word of Genesis in one breath to represent the cyclical relationship between the Jewish People and Torah.
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There are no special customs or greetings for Shemini Atzeret, but there are additional prayers in the usual services on this day.

Simchat Torah (Jewish)
2023-10-07 - 2023-10-08, 2024-10-24 - 2024-10-25
Coming at the conclusion of Sukkot are the two holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah . In Israel and among more liberal Jews they are combined into one holiday on the day after the conclusion of Sukkot . Among more traditional Jews outside of Israel, they are observed separately from one another on two consecutive days. Shemini Atzeret means the “Eighth Day of Assembly,” while Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in Torah.”They mark the conclusion of the annual reading cycle of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses that make up the Jewish Bible. Jews celebrate the Torah by dancing and singing, followed by reading the last word of Deuteronomy and the first word of Genesis in one breath to represent the cyclical relationship between the Jewish People and Torah.
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Hanukkah (Jewish)
2023-12-07 - 2023-12-15, 2024-12-25 - 2025-01-02
Hanukkah, also known as Hanukah, Chanukah, and Chanukkah can be spelled many different ways in English. It is an eight-day celebration known as the Festival of Lights marked by the lighting of candles using a special candle holder called a menorah or chanukiah. This holiday is where Jews celebrate their victory over a tyrant Greco-Syrian king and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. As the story goes, a small quantity of oil to light the Temple’s menorah miraculously lasted eight days. Traditions include a game involving spinning dreidels (tops), eating potato latkes (pancakes) and other oily foods, and gift giving.
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Holiday Greeting: Happy Hanukkah!
Commonly observed by synagogue attendance, community or family gatherings.

Tu B'Shvat (Jewish)
2024-01-24 - 2024-01-25, 2025-02-12 - 2025-02-13
New Year of the Trees. Originally celebrated as an agricultural festival marking the emergence of spring, today celebrations focus on environmental awareness. Trees are often planted in honor or memory of loved ones.
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Purim (Jewish)
2024-03-23 - 2024-03-24, 2025-03-13 - 2025-03-14
Purim, one of the most joyous Jewish holidays, commemorates the events in the Book of Esther. It celebrates the survival of the Jews who, in the 5th century BCE, were marked for death by their Persian rulers. Traditions include costumes, retelling the story through skits and songs, festivals geared towards children, and giving care packages to those in need. It is tradition to eat special cookies called Hamentaschen
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Holiday Greeting: Purim Sameach (Happy Purim)
There are no restrictions for students/families.

Passover (Jewish)
2024-04-22 18:00 - 2024-04-30 18:00, 2025-04-12 - 2025-04-20 (America/New_York)
Passover, known in Hebrew as Pesach, commemorates the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. A feast called a seder is held on the first two nights. During the seder, the Exodus story is read aloud and freedom from slavery is celebrated. This is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.
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Holiday Greeting: Pesach Sameach (Happy Passover)
No food that is leavened (e.g., bread, cake) or contains wheat is eaten. Matzah (unleavened bread) is often consumed instead. Work is traditionally prohibited on the first, second, seventh, and eighth days. Absences may vary based on religious observance of the holiday.

Yom Ha'shoah (Jewish)
2024-05-05 - 2024-05-06, 2025-04-23 - 2025-04-24
Known in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom Ha’Shoah commemorates the approximately six million Jews, and five million others who perished in the Holocaust. Shoah in Hebrew means catastrophe. This is a national public holiday in Israel. In homes and synagogues around the world, Jews will light memorial candles in commemoration of lives lost. The Holocaust and Humanity Center Museum located in Cincinnati’s Union Terminal highlights the history, artifacts, humanity education, and stories of survivors and others who experienced the Holocaust.
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Commonly observed by synagogue attendance or family gatherings. Work is traditionally prohibited; individuals may be absent from school or work.

Yom HaZikaron (Jewish)
2024-05-12 - 2024-05-13, 2025-04-29 - 2025-04-30
Yom HaZikaron is Israel’s Memorial Day, observed both in Israel and in many Jewish communities around the world. A day to remember and honor soldiers who lost their lives fighting in the War of Independence and subsequent battles. It is also a day to remember civilian victims of terrorism.
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Commonly observed by synagogue attendance, family or community gatherings. In Israel, at 12 noon sirens are sounded and the whole country, even cars on highways, will stop for a commemorative moment.

Yom HaAtzma'ut (Jewish)
2024-05-13 - 2024-05-14, 2025-04-30 - 2025-05-01
Yom HaAtzma’ut, also known as Israel’s Independence Day, is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the State of Israel, when members of the “provisional government” read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.
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Commonly observed by synagogue attendance, community or family gatherings.

Shavuot (Jewish)
2024-06-11 - 2024-06-13, 2025-06-01 - 2025-06-03
The festival of Shavuot celebrates the giving of Torah (Hebrew Bible) including the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. It also marks the end of the spring harvest, and the beginning of the summer harvest. Shavuot is celebrated by studying Torah together as a community, often late into the night. It is traditional to eat meals containing dairy. Barley and wheat are also food symbols of Shavuot.
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Holiday Greeting: Hag Sameach (Happy Holiday)
Commonly observed by synagogue attendance or family gatherings. Work is traditionally prohibited; individuals may be absent from school or work.

Tisha B’Av (Jewish)
2024-08-12 18:00 - 2024-08-13 21:00, 2025-08-02 18:00 - 2025-08-03 21:00
Tisha B’Av is the annual fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Jews from the land of Israel. Over the centuries, other tragic events have come to be commemorated on this day, including the massacres of the Crusades, the Jewish expulsion from Spain, and the Holocaust. Today in many modern Jewish communities, Tishah B’Av stands as a day to reflect on the suffering that still occurs in our world.
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Holiday Greeting: On Tisha B’Av we do not exchange greetings; we do not say “hello” or “how are you” and the like.
Observant Jews will fast, mourn and pray on this day.

Erev (eve of) Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
2024-10-02 18:00 - 23:59, 2025-09-22 18:00 - 23:59
This evening is the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This holiday begins the period of the High Holy Days, which are widely observed by Jews around the world. It is both a time of rejoicing and of serious introspection, a time to celebrate the completion of another year while also taking stock of one’s life. Traditions include eating apples dipped in honey and blowing the shofar (ram’s horn). Most Jews attend synagogue on these two days and the preceding evening.
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Holiday Greeting: Shana Tova (Happy New Year) – AND – Shana Tova U’Mtukah (Have a happy and sweet New Year)
No dietary restrictions, but most students will miss school for this holiday. Commonly observed by synagogue attendance or family gatherings. Work is traditionally prohibited.

Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
2024-10-03 - 2024-10-04, 2025-09-23 - 2025-09-24
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. This holiday begins the period of the High Holy Days, which are widely observed by Jews around the world. It is both a time of rejoicing and of serious introspection, a time to celebrate the completion of another year while also taking stock of one’s life. Traditions include eating apples dipped in honey and blowing the shofar (ram’s horn). Most Jews attend synagogue on these two days and the preceding evening.
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Holiday Greeting: Shana Tova (Happy New Year) – AND – Shana Tova U’Mtukah (Have a happy and sweet New Year)
No dietary restrictions, but most students will miss school for this holiday. Commonly observed by synagogue attendance or family gatherings. Work is traditionally prohibited.

Yom Kippur (Jewish)
2024-10-11 - 2024-10-12, 2025-10-01 19:00 - 2025-10-02 19:00
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. The focus of this holiday is on contemplation repentance. Jews are taught that sins between people can only be atoned for after personal reconciliation. It is considered to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. Fasting begins at sundown and ends after nightfall the following day. Most Jews attend synagogue on this day and the preceding evening. This holiday closes out the period of the High Holy Days.
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Holiday Greeting: G’mar chatimah tovah (May you be sealed in the Book of Life) – AND – tzom kal (easy fast)
Commonly observed by synagogue attendance or family gatherings. Individuals may be absent from school or work. Students will likely miss school for this holiday. Many who are 13 or older, will also likely be fasting. Work is traditionally prohibited.

Sukkot (Jewish)
2024-10-16 - 2024-10-23, 2025-10-06 - 2025-10-13
Sukkot is a seven-day festival marking the fall harvest in ancient Israel. This holiday is also a time in which Jews commemorate forty years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. Celebrated by the building of a sukkah (or temporary dwelling) outdoors, where families and friends spend time throughout the holiday. Work is traditionally prohibited on the first and second days.
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Some students may miss school, the first and second day of the festival. Commonly observed by synagogue attendance or family gatherings. Work is traditionally prohibited.
