Activity Guides 2019 Winter Spring Activity Guide | Page 7

Jewish Living
Jewish Holidays - Winter/Spring 2019 (5779)
Hanukkah
December 3 –December 10
Hanukkah (alternately spelled Chanukah),
meaning “dedication” in Hebrew, refers to
the joyous eight-day celebration during
which Jews commemorate the victory of the
Maccabees over the armies of Syria in 165
B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and
“rededication” of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The modern home celebration of Hanukkah
centers around the lighting of the hanukkiyah,
a special menorah for Hanukkah; foods
prepared in oil including latkes (potato
pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts);
and special songs and games.
Tu B’Shevat
January 21
Tu B’Shevat or the “New Year of the Trees” is
Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on
the 15th (tu) of the Hebrew month of Sh’vat.
Scholars believe that originally Tu BiSh’vat was
an agricultural festival, marking the emergence
of spring. In the 17th century, Kabbalists
created a ritual for Tu BiSh’vat that is similar
to a Passover seder. Today, many Jews hold
a modern version of the Tu BiSh’vat seder
each year. The holiday also has become a tree
planting festival in Israel, in which Israelis and
Jews around the world plant trees in honor or
in memory of loved ones and friends.
Purim
March 21 & 22
Purim is celebrated with a public reading—
usually in the synagogue—of the Book of
Esther (Megillat Esther), which tells the
story of the holiday. Under the rule of King
Ahashverosh, Haman, the king’s prime
minister, plots to exterminate all of the Jews
of Persia. His plan is foiled by Queen Esther
and her cousin Mordechai, who ultimately
save the Jews of Persia from destruction. The
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reading of the megillah typically is a rowdy
affair, punctuated by booing and noisemaking
when Haman’s name is read aloud.
Purim is an unusual holiday in many respects.
First, Esther is the only biblical book in which
God is not mentioned. Second, Purim, like
Hanukkah, traditionally is viewed as a minor
festival, but elevated to a major holiday as
a result of the Jewish historical experience.
Over the centuries, Haman became the
embodiment of every anti-Semite in every
land where Jews were oppressed. The
significance of Purim lies not so much in
how it began, but in what it has become: a
thankful and joyous affirmation of Jewish
survival against all odds.
Passover
April 20 – 27
Pesach, known as Passover in English, is a
major Jewish spring festival, commemorating
the Exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago.
The ritual observance of this holiday centers
around a special home service called the
seder (meaning “order”) and a festive meal;
the prohibition of chametz (leaven); and the
eating of matzah (an unleavened bread).
On the fifteenth day of Nisan in the Hebrew
calendar, Jews gather with family and friends
in the evening to read from a book called the
haggadah, meaning “telling,” which contains
the order of prayers, rituals, readings and
songs for the Passover seder. Today, the
holiday is a celebration of freedom and
family.
Yom HaShoah
May 2
Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust
Remembrance Day, occurs on the 27th of
Nisan. Shoah, which means catastrophe or
utter destruction in Hebrew, refers to the
Weinstein JCC | 2019 Winter - Spring Activity Guide
atrocities that were committed against the
Jewish people during World War II. This is
a memorial day for those who died in the
Shoah. The Shoah is also known as the
Holocaust, from a Greek word meaning
“sacrifice by fire.”
Yom Ha’atzmaut
May 9
Since the establishment of the State of Israel,
four new holidays have been added to the
Jewish calendar - Yom HaShoah (Holocaust
Remembrance Day), Yom HaZikaron (Memorial
Day), Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day),and
Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). In Israel,
these holidays are observed as national
holidays. The Israeli Knesset established the
day before Yom HaAtzmaut as Yom HaZikaron,
a Memorial Day for soldiers who lost their
lives fighting in the War of Independence and
in other subsequent battles.
Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day,
marks the establishment of the modern state
of Israel in 1948. It is observed on or near
the 5th of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, which
usually falls in April.
Shavuot
June 9 & 10
Shavuot is the Hebrew word for “weeks”
and refers to the Jewish festival marking the
giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which
occurs seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot,
like many other Jewish holidays, began as
an ancient agricultural festival that marked
the end of the spring barley harvest and the
beginning of the summer wheat harvest.
In ancient times, Shavuot was a pilgrimage
festival during which Israelites brought crop
offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Today,
it is a celebration of Torah, education, and
actively choosing to participate in Jewish life.