Bar-Ilan University’s International School would like to wish all its Jewish readers a Shana Tovah u’Metuka (a good, sweet year), well over the Fast, and Chag Sameach (happy holidays) for Sukkot and Simchat Torah.

September is filled with many different Jewish holidays. During these holidays, Bar-Ilan University and the International School will be closed. The dates are mentioned below as well as some information about each holiday.

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish calendar follows the Lunar year (based on the cycles of the moon) and starts with Rosh Hashanah (New Year). This year, Rosh Hashanah starts on Monday, September 6, and finishes on Wednesday, September 8. A “day” in the Jewish calendar starts at sunset on the evening of the holiday and ends when the first star can be seen in the sky after sunset the next day.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, takes place from Wednesday, September 15 until Thursday, September 16. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-26-hour fast and all-day prayer.

Israel shuts down during Yom Kippur. There are no radio or television broadcasts, airports are shut down, there is no public transportation, and all shops and businesses close early on the eve of Yom Kippur. In Israel, it is considered impolite to eat in public on Yom Kippur, to play music, or to drive any vehicles (except for emergency service vehicles). Bicycles are allowed. There are no legal prohibitions, but people generally respect their neighbors and follow the unwritten rules on this important day.

Sukkot

Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths) commemorates the years that the Jews spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land and celebrates the way in which they were protected under difficult desert conditions. Meals are eaten in a sukkah or temporary dwelling for a week, and some people even sleep in their sukkot (booths). The week-long holiday of Sukkot takes place from Monday, September 20, and culminates with Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah on Monday, September 27, and Tuesday, September 28.

Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah

Although technically a separate holiday, Shemini Atzeret (or the “Eighth Day of Assembly”) is, in effect, the final day of Sukkot. It is celebrated together with Simchat Torah (“rejoicing of the Torah), during which Jews rejoice in their relationship with the Torah (Hebrew Bible) through dancing and singing. It also marks the completion of the Torah-reading cycle and the beginning of the next one.