Jewish holidays

Where to celebrate Shavuot? The most special places to travel to in the Jezreel Valley

Between pioneer dances, wineries, fields, and local markets – the Jezreel Valley offers a weekend of nature, agriculture, and local flavors as part of the Milk and Honey festival.

Festival of Shavuot
 Jewish men dance with Israeli flags during Jerusalem Day celebrations at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, May 26, 2025.

Jerusalem Day lacks ritual meaning and how to fix a neglected holiday - opinion

Jewish worshippers visit the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi) in Meron, northern Israel, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer, May 1, 2026.

Religious protesters plan to storm Mount Meron in defiance of police orders ahead of Lag Ba'omer

PROF. YISRAEL AUMANN speaks at a Nov. 2005 news conference at the Hebrew University, after winning the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on conflict and cooperation through game theory analysis. He shares the prize with American economist Thomas Schelling.

From Passover to sirens: Why Jewish survival still demands action - opinion


In the kitchen with Henny: Marinade magic for your grill

Get your vegetables, your meats, and even your fruit ready because we are firing up the grill and celebrating this Independence Day.

Grilled fruit with honey lemon glaze.

Time for Israel’s non-kosher public to push back - opinion

Even the hint of a religious consumer boycott can shut entire markets. Deals collapse the moment the “non-kosher” is mentioned.

REPRESENTATIVES OF the Chief Rabbinate of Israel cross Jaffa Street in Jerusalem as they deliver a kosher certificate to a local restaurant.

A deeper reflection: Why the Passover story still matters today - opinion

The lesson that lingers is that freedom is not just about leaving a place of hardship; it is about creating a reality where that hardship does not repeat itself.

FOR ISRAEL in the here and now, these ideas are playing out in real time

Between miracle and memory: The evolution of Miriam in art over the years

Whether in medieval ‘Haggadot’ or the lithographs of Bezalel, artists trace Miriam as she emerges, tambourine in hand, to lead the aftermath of the Exodus.

BYZANTINE MOSAIC, Abbey of the Dormition, Jerusalem (c. early medieval) – Miriam, tambourine in hand.

The body continues: In war, dance becomes a way to survive

In their new works for the Batsheva Ensemble, choreographers Bosmat Nossan and Roni Chadash echo the rhythm of Miriam as a practice of necessity.

‘SEPARATIONS/DOME,’ Batsheva Ensemble. ‘The work began from a feeling, an everyday sensation of vulnerability.’ – Bosmat Nossan

Miriam on screen: Great films depicting biblical trailblazers to watch during Passover

Miriam’s legacy as a defiant artist is rarely center stage in the great biblical epics, but her spirit lives on in cinema’s most modern heroines.

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS (2014) Pictured: Christian Bale as Moses.

Before the song: On Passover, Miriam leads with rhythm when the path is unclear

Miriam leads not through words or commands but through rhythm, movement, and shared presence. Her tambourine becomes a structure that others can enter.

Engraving: The Song of Miriam (1880), by William Blake Richmond.

The hidden well: Exploring Miriam's leadership as a source of hope in war's shadow

Within a world of harsh decrees and cruelty, Miriam creates a human partnership that crosses boundaries for the sake of saving life.

TAMBOURINE PLAYERS from the ‘Golden Haggadah’ (c. 1320), reflecting a medieval vision of Miriam and the women’s song after the crossing of the sea, The British Library, London

A voice of praise: Why this Haggadah puts Miriam at the center of the Exodus

An exploration of the unique visual depiction of Miriam’s song in the medieval ‘Haggadah’ from The Israel Museum, Jerusalem’s collection.

THE YAHUDA HAGGADAH, Southern Western Germany, ca. 1470-80, handwritten on parchment; brown ink, and gold and silver leaf

Passover candle lighting times for Israel and US

See Passover candle lighting times for your area.

Shabbat candles