We celebrate or commemorate all of the holidays and festivals of the Jewish year with worship services or special programs. 

For a description of the Jewish holidays visit http://urj.org/holidays.

High HolY days

Erev Rosh Hashanah 5778 begins at sunset on Wednesday, September 20
This year's sermons can be found here.
You may watch the services via our live stream archives here.

Sukkot

Sukkot, a Hebrew word meaning booths, refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest, as well as the commemoration of the forty years of Jewish wandering in the desert after Sinai.  At PTBE we have have many options for celebrating Sukkot.

Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Law) celebrates the completion of the annual reading of the Torah.  This joyous festival provides opportunities for Jews to affirm the centrality of Torah in their lives, as well as to demonstrate their commitment to lifelong study.  As part of the celebration, the Torah scrolls are taken from the ark and carried or danced around the synagogue seven times. During the Torah service, the concluding section of the fifth book of the Torah, D’varim (Deuteronomy), is read, and immediately following, the opening section of Genesis, or B'reishit as it is called in Hebrew, is read. This practice represents the cyclical nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the reading of the Torah.

CHANUKAH

Chanukah (alternately spelled Hanukkah), meaning "dedication" in Hebrew, refers to the joyous eight-day celebration during which Jews commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and "rededication" of the Temple in Jerusalem. The modern home celebration of Chanukah centers around the lighting of the chanukiyah, a special menorah for Chanukah; foods prepared in oil including latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts); and special songs and games.

Festivals

The first date shown is the eve of the holiday. Holidays begin at sundown.