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Special Events and Holidays

At the Shaw JCC, we observe both American civic holidays and Jewish religious holidays. In doing so, we honor both the Jewish tradition from which we derive our strength and the broad diversity of our membership and community.

Regardless of your religious tradition, we welcome you to learn more about Jewish holidays and traditions at the Shaw JCC. We are proud to be open to everyone in our community.


A Guide to Jewish Holidays

If you’ve glanced at the Shaw JCC calendar, you’ll notice lots of Jewish holidays in the fall and again in the spring. Whether these holidays are part of your family’s tradition or you’re encountering them for the first time, we invite you to learn more about the Jewish holidays we celebrate each year.

Fall
Rosh Hashanah
Happy New Year! For the Jewish people, Rosh Hashanah (or the Jewish New Year) commemmorates the day the world was created. It's one of the holiest days of the year. On Rosh Hashanah, it's a mitzvah--or commandment--to hear the sounding of the shofar, or ram's horn. We also celebrate with a festive meal, during which we dip an apple into honey, symbolizing our prayer for a sweet new year. Wish your Jewish friends a good new year with "L'shana Tovah!"

Yom Kippur
In the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur is the most sacred day holy day. It is also known as the Day of Atonement, because the day is devoted to prayer and repentance. We spend the day at services at our respective synagogues. During this holiday, we typically observe the prohibition against eating and drinking with a fast. At the conclusion of services, the shofar is blown again, which signifies we can break the fast.

Sukkot
Have you ever noticed a cozy wooden shelter temporarily located outside the Shaw JCC each fall? It's called a sukkah, and we build it for the holiday Sukkot. This festive holiday marks the closing of the harvest season for the Jews of ancient Israel. We eat our meals in the sukkah to recall the shelters of the Jews when they wandered in the wilderness.

Hoshanna Rabbah
Hoshanna Rabbah is the seventh and final day of Sukkot, and the day has its own rituals, which include prayers for repentence.

Simchat Torah
On Simchat Torah, we dance, sing and rejoice with the Torah. We read the last Torah portion of the year during this holiday, concluding the Book of Deuteronomy, and then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a never-ending circle.

Shemini Atzeret
We honor the special relationship between the Jewish people and God on Shemini Atzeret. The holiday marks the beginning of the rainy season following the harvest in Israel, so we recite the prayer for rain--tefilat geshem--among other prayers.




Spring
Passover
Have you ever heard about Moses standing up to Pharaoh and then leading his people out of slavery in Egypt? Remember the plague of locusts and the parting of the Red Sea? That’s what Passover is all about—celebrating the journey from slavery to freedom.

During Passover, Jewish people have a special meal, called a seder, with family and friends. We eat matzah—bread without yeast—to recall our ancestors fleeing Egypt with no time for the bread to rise. Jewish tradition dictates that we don’t work for several days at the beginning and end of Passover and we don’t eat food with any kind of leavening in it for the eight days of the holiday. That’s why the Shaw JCC is closed for a few days during Passover (see dates above), and why you’ll find the vending machines turned off during this time.

Yom HaShoah
On Yom HaShoah, we remember the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. We invite the entire community to participate in the Yom HaShoah programs listed above. As Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel has said, “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.”

Yom Hazikaron
Yom HaAtzma'ut

On Yom Hazikaron, we remember the soldiers who gave their lives so the State of Israel can exist. The instant that Yom Hazikaron is over, Yom HaAtzma’ut—Israeli Independence Day—begins. The transition from sorrow to celebration is quite dramatic, and in Israel, the celebration is much like our July 4th—fireworks, picnics, and lots of food!

Shavuot
Sundown, May 22-Sundown, May 24
Shaw JCC closed
Sunday, May 22 at 4 pm-Tuesday, May 24 (reopen Wednesday, May 25)

Perhaps you know the story of Moses going up on Mount Sinai? When he came down, he had two tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Shavuot commemorates that occasion, and also celebrates the harvest in Israel. We celebrate Shavuot by lighting candles, eating dairy foods, and reading the Book of Ruth (which takes place during the harvest).