Festival
Chanukah
4 December – 12 December 2026
Eight nights of lights. Work goes on, but schools have a winter break for part of it.
In practice
- Bakeries fill with sufganiyot from weeks before, and many towns hold public candle lightings.
Jewish holidays
Jewish holidays in Israel: what to expect
Every chag and fast of the coming year, with dates from Hebcal and what each one means in practice: what closes, how transport runs and what people do.
The year ahead
Chagim, fasts and national days
In date order from today. Times for candle lighting and havdalah are on the Shabbat page.
- Fast
Asara B'Tevet
Sunday 20 December 2026
A minor fast from dawn to nightfall; in Israel it is also a general day of remembrance for Holocaust victims whose date of death is unknown.
In practice
- An ordinary working day.
- Festival
Tu BiShvat
Saturday 23 January 2027
The new year for trees: dried fruit, a seder for some, and tree-planting events.
In practice
- An ordinary working day; schools often hold planting activities.
- Fast
Fast of Esther
Monday 22 March 2027
A minor fast from dawn to nightfall before Purim (moved to the Thursday when Purim falls on a Sunday).
In practice
- An ordinary working day.
- Festival
Purim
22 March – 24 March 2027
Megillah reading in the evening and the morning, mishloach manot, gifts to the poor and a festive meal.
In practice
- Jerusalem celebrates a day later (Shushan Purim); a few other places read on both days. Ask your shul which day applies in Herzliya.
- Schools usually close on Purim day, with costume parties the day before.
- Chag
Pesach
21 April – 28 April 2027
Passover: in Israel, seven days with one seder. The first and seventh days are full holidays.
In practice
- Supermarkets cover or remove chametz shelves for the week; many restaurants close or switch to kosher-for-Pesach menus.
- Schools are off for about two to three weeks around the festival.
- Chametz is sold through a rabbi before the festival and burnt on the morning before the seder; municipalities often set up burning points.
- Memorial day
Yom HaShoah
Tuesday 4 May 2027
Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In practice
- A two-minute siren sounds across the country in the morning; people stop where they are, drivers included, and stand.
- Places of entertainment close from the evening before.
- Memorial day
Yom HaZikaron
Tuesday 11 May 2027
Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Yom HaAtzmaut.
In practice
- A one-minute siren in the evening and a two-minute siren in the morning; everyone stops and stands.
- Ceremonies are held at municipal memorials and military cemeteries; places of entertainment are closed in the evening.
- National day
Yom HaAtzmaut
Wednesday 12 May 2027
Israel's Independence Day: a public holiday that starts straight after Yom HaZikaron.
In practice
- Municipal stages and fireworks on the evening, then a day of barbecues in parks; expect busy roads and parks.
- Most shops close; check bus times, which run on a holiday timetable.
- Festival
Lag BaOmer
Tuesday 25 May 2027
A day of celebration during the Omer, known in Israel for its evening bonfires.
In practice
- Municipalities designate where bonfires are allowed and publish fire-safety rules; check before lighting one.
- Chag
Shavuot
10 June – 11 June 2027
The giving of the Torah: one day in Israel, with all-night learning and dairy meals.
In practice
- Buses and shops stop from the afternoon before, as on Shabbat; kibbutzim and moshavim hold harvest festivals.
- Fast
Fast of 17 Tammuz
Thursday 22 July 2027
A minor fast from dawn to nightfall that begins the Three Weeks before Tisha B’Av.
In practice
- An ordinary working day.
- Fast
Tisha B'Av
11 August – 12 August 2027
The fast day mourning the destruction of the Temples, from sunset to nightfall the next day.
In practice
- Places of entertainment close by law; many restaurants close for the fast.
- Shuls read Eicha (Lamentations) at night and kinot in the morning.
- Chag
Rosh Hashana
1 October – 3 October 2027
The Jewish New Year: two days of prayer and the shofar, in Israel as abroad.
In practice
- Buses, trains and most shops stop from the afternoon before until after the second day.
- Many shuls sell or allocate seats in advance; ask early.
- Fast
Tzom Gedaliah
Monday 4 October 2027
A minor fast from dawn to nightfall, the day after Rosh Hashana.
In practice
- An ordinary working day: shops, schools and transport run as usual.
- Chag
Yom Kippur
10 October – 11 October 2027
The Day of Atonement: a 25-hour fast, and the quietest day of the Israeli year.
In practice
- Roads empty almost completely; by custom people do not drive, and children cycle on the streets.
- Public transport, shops and broadcasting stop, and Ben Gurion Airport closes.
- Buy water and food the day before, and finish your errands by midday.
- Chag
Sukkot & Simchat Torah
15 October – 23 October 2027
Seven days in the sukkah. In Israel the first day and Shmini Atzeret (with Simchat Torah on the same day) are full holidays; the days between are chol hamoed.
In practice
- Schools are off for most of the festival; parks, museums and nature reserves are busy during chol hamoed.
- Arba minim (lulav and etrog) markets open in the days before.
Hebcal (opens in a new tab)Hebcal: Shmini Atzeret (opens in a new tab)
Dates from Hebcal.com (Israel schedule), refreshed with each site update. Customs differ between communities: your rabbi and your shul come first.
School holidays and families