Rosh Hashanah - New Year:

Marks the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the ten days of awe, a period of penitence and spiritual renewal.

Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement:

We fast as we reflect upon our lives and seek forgiveness from God and from one another.

We remember the 40 years of wandering when the Jews left Egypt by living in booths (sukkot), and celebrate the Fall harvest in Israel.

At Shir Tikvah, we build our very own sukkah.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah - Rejoicing in the Law:

We conclude Sukkot and rejoice in the study of Torah as we complete the reading of the Torah and then begin anew.

At Shir Tikvah on Simchat Torah we also welcome our youngest to Religious School as we celebrate their Consecration.

Hanukkah - Festival of Lights:

Lights, dreidles and latkes recall the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Hellenists, who oppressed the Jewish people, and rededication of the Temple which had been defiled.

Tu B'Shevat - Jewish Arbor Day:

Sometimes called the Jewish Environmental Day or Arbor Day, Tu B'Shevat celebrates the new year for the trees.

Purim - Feast of Lots:

Haman's plot to annihilate the Jews of Persia was foiled by Queen Esther of Mordechai. We recount the story by reading the Megillah.

Pesach - Passover:

We celebrate ancient Israel's redemption from slavery, and retell contemporary tales of Jewish liberation at a seder.

Yom Ha-Shoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day:

We remember the 6 million Jews who perished during the Holocaust and the destruction of European Jewry.

Yom Ha-Atzma'ut - Israel Independence Day:

Proceeded by Yom Ha-Zikaron, Israel Memorial Day. We joyously celebrate the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948.

Shavuot - Feast of Weeks:

We commemorate the covenant established between God and the Jewish people by the giving of the Torah, and the harvest of first fruits in Israel. Tenth Grade confirmation is held on this day.

Tisha B'Av - Ninth of Av:

We fast to remember the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.