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Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day
Yom HaZikaron & Yom HaAtzmaut - Israeli Memorial Day & Independence Day
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.



Tishah B'Av

Tishah B'Av, observed on the 9th (tishah) of the Hebrew month of Av, is a day of mourning the destruction of both ancient Temples in Jerusalem. In contrast to traditional streams of Judaism, liberal Judaism never has assigned a central religious role to the ancient Temple. Therefore, mourning the destruction of the Temple may not be particularly meaningful to liberal Jews. In modern times, Jews understand Tishah B'Av as a day to remember many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history.
Traditionally, Tishah B'Av is the darkest of all days, a time set aside for fasting and mourning the destruction of both ancient Temples in Jerusalem.  As on Yom Kippur, the fast extends from sundown until the following sundown. In the synagogue, the Book of Lamentations is chanted, as are kinot, which are dirges written during the Middle Ages. Sitting on low stools, a custom associated with mourning the dead, Jews read sections of the books of Jeremiah and Job, as well as passages from the Bible and the Talmud that deal with the Temples' destruction in 586 B.C.E. and 70 C.E.


Wed, October 21 2020 3 Cheshvan 5781