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Holy Days & Festivals

as the Prophets declared long ago, ritual and ceremony are not of the essence of religion. However, they are a means of making religious truth more vivid and inspiring to the worshipper. Following are brief descriptions of the major Jewish holidays celebrated at Emanu-El, their significance and some associated practices.



Note: All holidays (except Selichot) begin the evening before the date specified.
Selichot   September 8, 2012
Rosh Hashanah   September 17, 2012
Yom Kippur   September 26, 2012
Sukkot   October 1, 2012
Sh’mini Atzeret/Simchat Torah   October 8, 2012
Chanukah   December 9, 2012
Purim   February 24, 2013
Passover   March 26, 2013
Conclusion of Passover   April 1, 2013
Shavuot   May 15, 2013

Listen to holiday services by launching the audio player.
Services will be available on the Emanu-El Web site generally within one hour of the end of the live service.

For information about High Holy Days seating, click here.

View a 5-year calendar for the holidays.


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