Jewish Festivals

Lectures and Websites

Akh, vi voyl s'iz tsu zayn a yid!   [How good it is to be a Jew!]

Songs about the Jewish festivals reflect many different aspects of life in the Diaspora: customs and traditions, religious practice, folklore and legends, and, not least, food - such as the loving descriptions of festive foods in the song "Akh vi voyl" above. The subjects of the songs may be realistic or metaphorical, and the festivals are often simply a framework for singing about different aspects of life; see, for example, the vast range of meanings that the "tree of life" represents.

Here are the festivals which are covered in the lectures:

[Mosaic pavement of a 6th century synagogue in Beit Alpha, Israel]

*     *     *     *     *

Here is a list of sites containing information about Jewish festivals, arranged according to alphabetical order. All denominations are included. Suggestions regarding additional sites are welcome. Sites in Hebrew are here.

Aish Hatorah

Breslev

Chabad

Eliezer Segal. Around the Calendar

Hanefesh. National Assembly of Jewish Students

Jacob Richman's Hotsites

JAFI – Jewish Agency for Israel. Dept. for Jewish Zionist Education

JDC. Joint Distribution Committee

Jewish Heritage Online Magazine

Jewish Life. United Jewish Communities

Jewish Virtual Library

Judaism 101

Midrash Ben Ish Hai 

My Jewish Learning

Ohr Samayach

Orthodox Union

Union of Reform Judaism

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Virtual Beit Midrash

Virtual Jerusalem

*          *          *          *          *          *

 Hebrew:  מעגל השנה