
National Holidays in Israel: Celebrations and Traditions
Israel celebrates several national holidays that are deeply rooted in its history, culture and spirituality. Here are some of the most significant national holidays in Israel:

1. Shabbat
שַׁבָּת
(Sabbath)
- When: Weekly, from Friday evening to Saturday evening.
- Significance: The Jewish day of rest and worship.

2. Rosh Hashanah
ראש השנה
(Jewish New Year)
- When: Two days in early fall (Tishrei 1-2).
- Significance: Marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year and the ten days of repentance.

3. Yom Kippur
יום הכיפורים
(Day of Atonement)
- When: 10 days after Rosh Hashanah (Tishrei 10).
- Significance: The holiest day in Judaism, dedicated to fasting, prayer, and repentance.

4. Sukkot
חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת
(Feast of Tabernacles)
When: 7 days, starting five days after Yom Kippur (Tishrei 15-21).
- Significance: Commemorates the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert.

5. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
שמחת תורה
(Feast of Tabernacles)
- When: Immediately following Sukkot (Tishrei 22-23).
- Significance: Shemini Atzeret is a day of assembly; Simchat Torah celebrates the conclusion and restart of the annual Torah reading cycle.

6. Hanukkah
חג החנוכה
(Festival of Lights)
- When: 8 days, starting on the 25th of Kislev.
- Significance: Commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple and the miracle of the oil.

7. Tu Bishvat
ט"ו בִּשְׁבָט
(New Year for Trees)
- When: 15th of Shevat.
- Significance: A Jewish holiday marking the new year for trees, often celebrated with tree planting and eating fruit.

8. Purim
פורים
When: 14th of Adar.
- Significance: Celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther.

9. Passover
פורים
(Pesach)
- When: 7 or 8 days, starting on the 15th of Nisan.
- Significance: Commemorates the Israelites' exodus from Egypt.

10. Yom HaShoah
יום השואה
(yom ha-shoʾāh)
- When: 27th of Nisan.
- Significance: A day of remembrance for the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.

11. Yom HaZikaron
יום הזיכרון לחללי מערכות ישראל ולנפגעי פעולות האיבה
(Memorial Day)
- When: 4th of Iyar.
- Significance: Honors Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.

12. Yom Ha'atzmaut
יום העצמאות
(Independence Day)
- When: 5th of Iyar.
- Significance: Celebrates the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

13. Lag BaOmer
ל"ג בעומר
- When: 18th of Iyar.
- Significance: Commemorates the end of a plague among Rabbi Akiva's students and celebrates Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

14. Shavuot
שבועות
(Feast of Weeks)
- When: 6th of Sivan.
- Significance: Celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

15. Tisha B'Av
תשעה באב
(Ninth of Av)
- When: 9th of Av.
- Significance: A day of mourning the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.