Holidays & Festivals

The Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat is literally the 'New Year for the Trees’. Falling out on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, it is a holiday of tree planting, fruit eating, special ‘seders’ for the holiday and other celebrations of nature...

The Jewish people are going through an extremely difficult time now. But there are some special moments that bring some necessary light to our lives and the last night of Chanukah we had a huge simcha (joy) when our dear Moshe Samuel got married to...

Ezra Janggousang, a B'nei Menashe child displaced from the ethnic fighting in northeast India, is the adorable child seen lighting the Chanukah candles in a number of photos coming out of the Shavei Israel Centre, Churachandpur, Manipur, in northeast India. Ezra, along with his family and...

One of the fun things about working with Jewish communities around the world is the holidays. Getting a peek into the traditions, culture, variety and style in each unique community reminds us how there really is “70 faces to the Torah…” – and to all...

Shavei Israel communities from different parts of the world shared photos with us of them at services and in mourning for the destruction of the Temples and remembering other tragedies in Jewish history that happened on Tisha B’Av, the annual fast day on the 9th...

The ‘Three Weeks’ on the Jewish calendar, which begin on the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and end on the 9th of Av, is a period of mourning and introspection commemorating the destruction of the first and second Jewish Temples.  The Bnei Menashe, while...

It is customary to read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot. In that book, Ruth says to Naomi (1:16): “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” On Shavuot...

Lag Ba’omer is a minor holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot. A break from the semi-mourning of the Omer, key aspects of Lag Ba’omer include holding Jewish weddings (it’s the one day during the...

Israel recently marked Holocaust Remembrance Day. As with any Jewish organization, the horrors of the Holocaust are usually not more than a few steps removed from any Jewish people.  We decided to film the testimonies of some people who are near and dear to the greater...

Yom Ha'atzmaut is Israel's national Independence Day commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonies and observances throughout Israel and the Jewish world. Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day is always...