As the prophets declared long ago, ritual and ceremony are not of the essence of religion. However, they are a means of making religious truth more vivid and inspiring to the worshipper. Following are brief descriptions of the major Jewish holidays celebrated at Emanu-El, their significance and some associated practices.

Upcoming Jewish Holidays
Selichot | ![]() | September 1, 2018 |
Rosh Hashanah | ![]() | September 09 - 10, 2018 |
Yom Kippur | ![]() | September 18 - 19, 2018 |
Sukkot | ![]() | September 23 - October 1, 2018 |
Sh’mini Atzeret/Simchat Torah | ![]() | September 30 – October 1, 2018 |
Chanukah | ![]() | December 2 - 10, 2018 |
Purim | ![]() | March 20 – 21, 2019 |
Passover | ![]() | April 19 – 26, 2019 |
Yom HaShoah | ![]() | May 2, 2019 |
Shavuot | ![]() | June 8 – 9, 2019 |
Note: All Jewish holidays begin at sunset. Dates specified at this site are for those evenings, so the holiday extends from sunset on the noted date until dusk on the next.

Watch holiday services »
Services from the Fifth Avenue Sanctuary may be watched via live video stream.
Archived videos may be accessed by clicking the “stack menu” icon at the
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For information about
the High Holy Days, click here »
View our calendar of upcoming holidays »
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