Jewish Studies: Holidays & Observances

A site which covers all the major holidays, times and ways of observance, and customs. Also includes a 'Gentile's Guide' of minimal information to avoid embarrassing moments.

The Jewish Outreach Institute provides information on the history and practices of Judaism's main religious days and options for how to celebrate each holiday.

Learn about the Jewish holidays and explore the customs and traditions of Reform Jews throughout North America. Every description has dates, a brief annotation, and a good selection of related links. Includes a holiday calendar. From the Union for Reform Judaism.

Chabad-Lubavitch holiday site.

Offers resources for 'contemporary Jewish liturgy and ritual' and facilitates 'access to creative innovation in Judaism.' Find information on rituals by occasion (including life cycle events, holidays, and Shabbat), symbol, content type (for example, songs or recipes), and author. Offers e-mail updates, an annotated bibliography, a glossary of symbols, and suggestions for making and sharing rituals.

'Cyberspace Super Highway To Jewish Learning' with study pages on Parsha, Gematria, holidays, and more, from the B'nai Noach Torah Institute in Colorado.

The High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, are 'the most important of all Jewish Holidays and the only holidays that are purely religious, as they are not related to any historical or natural event.' Includes activities, stories, recipes, calendars, and information about Shofar (instrument made from ram's horn), the celebration of Sukkot, and the Yizkor service.

Dozens of sites related to Passover, some in Hebrew or other languages. Everything from recipes and history to matzo clip art.

Substantial information about Passover. Includes a discussion about the Haggadah, laws, recipes, family activities, and songs.

History and customs.

Purim-the Feast of Lots-seems full of contradictions, one minute mourning in sackcloth and the next fighting enemies and winning, when all the while it is a reaffirmation of Jewish survival.

Sukkot-the Feast of Booths-is named for the huts (sukkah) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land.

Shavuot-Feast of the Weeks-celebrates the harvest season in Israel exactly 7 weeks after Passover. Shavuot also commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. Site includes story, legends and customs.

Facts and history on the three weeks leading up to Tisha B'Av.

Instructions for playing the Hanukkah game of Dreidel.

A directory of links for the Jewish holiday Lag Ba'Omer, the 33rd day between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (the timing means the holiday usually occurs in late spring). The links represent a range of information about the Lag Ba'Omer, including explanations of the holiday, traditions (such as the lighting of bonfires), and biographies of Rabbi Akiva. Also includes links to sites in Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, and other languages.

From Ohr Somayach International.

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day.

Holocaust Remembrance Day - 27th of Nissan - one day in the year for a special effort to remember (Zachor).

Andrew Tannenbaum's offers both civil date or Hebrew date calculation options.

From the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, this interactive Google map carefully details the exact location of these boundary markers. A community Eruv (Hebrew: ערוב‎) refers to the legal aggregation or 'mixture' under Jewish religious property law of separate parcels of property into a single parcel, which enables Shabbat observant Jews to carry children and belongings within it without violating the Jewish sabbath.