What and when are the main Jewish Festivals?
Passover Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is the time when Jewish people remember how the children of Israel left slavery behind them when they left Egypt. It is a major eight day festival. A highlight is the Seder meal held in each family’s home at the beginning of the festival, when the story of their deliverance is recounted as narrated in the Haggadah (the Telling, the Story). Matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten throughout the festival, as are other foods that contain no leaven. There is a great spring cleaning in the home before the festival to ensure that no trace of leaven is left in the home during Pesach. Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year This festival marks the Jewish New Year and begins with ten days of repentance and self examination, during which time God sits in judgement on every person. The festival is also known as the Day of Judgement, the Day of the Sounding of the Shofar, and the Day of Remembrance. Over the two days of Rosh Hashanah, there are special services at the synag
