JEWISH LIVING JEWISH HOLIDAY WINTER – SPRING 2026( 5786)
December 2025 – May 2026
Hanukkah( Festival of Lights)
December 14 – December 22, 2025 Hanukkah( also spelled Chanukah) is an 8-day Jewish festival marking the miraculous victory of the Maccabees, Jewish freedom fighters, over the Seleucidian Greek occupiers in the year 139 BCE. After recapturing Jerusalem’ s Holy Temple, which had been converted into a place of idol worship, they searched for pure oil with which to light the Temple menorah. They found just enough to burn for one day, but miraculously it burned for eight days until more oil could be brought. 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 BiShvat( New Year for Trees)
February 1 – 2, 2026
Tu BiShvat or the“ New Year of the Trees” is Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on the 15th( tu) of the Hebrew month of Shvat. Scholars believe that originally Tu BiShvat was an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. In the 17th century, Kabbalists created a ritual for Tu BiShvat that is similar to a Passover seder. Today, many Jews hold a modern version of the Tu BiShvat 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 2 – 3, 2026 Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, 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 reading of the megillah typically is a rowdy affair, punctuated by booing and noise – making 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 because 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 1 – 9, 2026 Pesach, known as Passover in English, is a major Jewish spring festival. This holiday commemorates the Exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago and the Jewish people’ s freedom from slavery. 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. One of the most notable parts of the Haggadah is the recounting of the 10 plagues. Today, the holiday is a celebration of freedom and family.
Yom HaShoah( Holocaust Remembrance Day)
April 13 – 14, 2026 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 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( Israel Independence Day)
April 21 – 22, 2026 Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, marks the establishment of the modern State of Israel. It is observed on or near the 5th of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, with adjustments made if the date falls on the Sabbath, to accommodate restrictions on festivities for some observant Jews. This Hebrew date corresponds with the original date of May 14, 1948. The day is marked with festivities such as a parade and in Israel by a torch lighting( hadlakat masuot) ceremony, which marks the country’ s achievements in all spheres of life. While not a religious holiday to most, Yom Ha’ Atzmaut is a celebration of triumph for the Jewish people in that we were granted legitimacy in our ancestral indigenous homeland.
Shavuot
May 21 – 23, 2026 Shavuot is a springtime holiday that is one of the three pilgrimage festivals during which the ancient Israelites brought crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. In modern times Jews celebrate it as one of the most important moments for the Jewish people, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The term Shavuot is the Hebrew word for“ weeks” and it always occurs seven weeks after Passover. It is the only Jewish holiday without an actual date. Shavuot is the culmination of the 49-day period known as the Omer, a period of semi-mourning as well as spiritual progression from slavery to revelation. Today, it is a celebration of Torah, education, and actively choosing to participate in Jewish life.
8 Weinstein JCC • Winter / Spring 2026 Activity Guide