News & Views

News, stories, and updates from Hillel communities worldwide

21 results

What is Yom Kippur?

Imagine taking 365 days of self-reflection, and compressing it into one, single day. That, in essence, is Yom Kippur.

What is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar, which is entering the year 5784, and is celebrated as the Jewish New Year. The Jewish year begins in the fall with the month of Tishrei, and Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of the month of Tishrei. 

Blessings from the Bees: Rosh Hashanah 2023

As Jews around the world celebrate the beginning of the new year in the Jewish calendar, Rabba Amalia reflects, “The honey we taste on Rosh Hashanah is the culmination of an incredible landscape of blessing; the soil, the flowers, the rain, the nectar, and the bees. My hope for the new year is that we are also tasting a small moment of the blessings to come this year.”

What is Tisha B’Av?

Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, is recognized as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is a day of mourning for tragedies across Jewish history, most particularly the destruction and loss of the first and second Temple and Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago. 

What is the 17th of Tammuz?

The summer months mark the biggest gap between holidays in the Jewish calendar. They also contain the period of time known as the Three Weeks. Beginning with the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz and ending with the Fast of the Ninth of Av, Tisha B’Av, the Three Weeks are a time of mourning and commemoration of historical loss for the Jewish people.