Passover in Jerusalem

Passover in Jerusalem (Pesach in Jerusalem) is one of the busiest times in the city with loads of special things to do for Passover and thousands of tourists coming to celebrate the significance of the words Jews say, “next year in Jerusalem”. School kids in Jerusalem are on holiday over Passover meaning that families are also out looking for things to do. The result is an amazing array of special events in Jerusalem for Passover for families: shows, museums events, festivals, and special tours. In 2012, Passover will be between April 6 to 13, 2012.

Passover in Jerusalem Highlights

Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts

A unique way for visitors to experience Jerusalem, Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts provide a special, memorable and fun way to experience the Old City of Jerusalem and the city’s Nachlaot neighborhood. They are especially good for kids and families and will run through the Passover period. More information about Jerusalem Scavenger Hunts.

Free Museums over Passover

Every year Bank Hapoalim sponsors tens of Israeli museums to open for free over the Passover period. These include some of the biggest and best museums in Israel. For more information or to see which museums are included, read about free museums in Jerusalem over Passover.

Special Museum events

Most of the major museums in Jerusalem are putting on special events for families – these include the Israel Museum, the Bloomfield Science Museum, and the City of David.

Israel Museum Jerusalem Events

The Israel Museum Jerusalem will be open for kids for free throughout Passover and everyone on April 12. Every day between April 8-12, the museum will host French illustrator Herve Tullet between 11am and 1pm. He will discuss his work and lead a creative workshop based on his books.

Jerusalem Ice Festival

The first Jerusalem Ice Festival which began in early March will run through the Passover holiday and is set to be a major attraction over the Passover in Jerusalem. More about the Jerusalem Ice Festival.

Join a tour

Either take a private guide, or join a group, and explore parts of Jerusalem you might otherwise not have seen. From the Jewish intertest group tours of Jerusalem, to private tours of Jerusalem – great for a family or small group, there are loads of great tours of Jerusalem for you.

Stage One Festival

Stage One is an English speaking theater festival taking place in Jerusalem between April 8-10, 2012. Performers include the Tenth Man, the Ein Prat Fountainheads, Passion Killer, and Talk. For more information visit www.bac.org.il

Pesach in Israel

There are loads of things to do for Passover in Israel if you leave Jerusalem for a while. Check out our separate article about things to do for Passover in Israel.

Soldiers, Settlers Celebrate Purim at Joshua’s Tomb

A reading of the Book of Esther for soldiers and Yesha residents was held at Joshua's Tomb despite desecration by local Arabs

By Gavriel Queenann

A special service was held on Purim morning Thursday at the tomb of Yehoshua Ben Nun in Kifl Hares in Samaria.

The morning prayer service and traditional second reading of the Book of Esther for Purim, was led by Samaria Regional Community Council head Gershon Mesika and Rabbi Uriel Genzel.

Of special note was the participation of the Ephraim Brigade, commanded by Col. Ron Kahane, who were lovingly welcomed by the residents of Judea and Samaria who attended.

Kahane and his men were toasted and given the traditional "lechaim" blessing – to life!

Earlier, when the first worshipers arrived at the tomb, they were shocked to discover local Arabs had desecrated the compound. The inner walls of the holy structure were painted with a large swastika and nationalist PA graffiti was spray-painted in Arabic.

PA security forces have allowed the tomb to be desecrated multiple times since Israel handed Kifl Hares over to them, but recently claimed they would prevent further desecration of tombs in their areas.

The worshipers brought white paint and tried to execute minor repairs to the tomb before the service..

Col. Kahane said he was confident that his soldiers will be inspired by hearing the Megillah in Yehoshua Ben Nun's tomb alongside their fellow citizens to exert themselves in their missions, and that the settlements will continue to grow.

Mesika said, "It was very exciting to read the Book of Esther, the Book of valor of Israel, at the grave of the great leader who brought us into the land – Yehoshua Ben Nun."

Mesika also drew a parallel between the tomb desecration and the Book of Esther "On a day where we read about the downfall of the genocidal Haman so many years ago, we are again reminded of those people who want to follow in his footsteps today."

Mesika explained, "A direct line connects the Persian Haman today - Ahmadinejad, who threatens the destruction of Jewish people - and the PA terrorists who choose to mark their actions with the swastika, a symbol of barbarism that desecrates the graves of our holy fathers."

"In the face of this darkness we still have light, the salvation of Purim, and the joy of building Israel," he said. "This Purim, especially in the face of the swastika Yehoshua Ben Nun's tomb, we draw immortal strength and joy from him, who told us 'go up and inherit the land,' for we have done so."

PM Netanyahu's Christmas Greetings 2011

PM Netanyahu Addresses International Human Rights Day 2011

Do Jews Celebrate Thanksgiving?

by: Rabbi Tuly Weisz

My curious non-Jewish friends always ask me whether I, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, celebrate Thanksgiving. The question reminds me that we still have much to learn about each other, because the answer is so obvious once you really understand what Thanksgiving is all about.

Every Kindergartner knows the story of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 and gave thanks for their success and accomplishments. What most people don’t know, however, was just how unique those Pilgrims were.

Unlike any other group before them, the Pilgrims were fleeing from religious oppression in Europe and looked to the Bible for inspiration. They saw themselves as the chosen people fleeing from a brutal King (James I), who they referred to as Pharaoh, casting off the yolk of bondage and oppression. They referred to their voyage on the Mayflower as passing through the Red Sea into the wilderness. For inspiration, they looked to Exodus and even studied Hebrew in order to read it in the original. When they arrived in what they referred to as the “Promised Land”, they offered thanks and prayer to G-d, like the biblical Feast of Tabernacles.

No other group in history had ever felt that they were reenacting and fulfilling the bible like the original settlers in America. For centuries, European explorers had set sail for new lands without referring to the Bible, seeing themselves as G-d’s chosen people or looking for the Promised Land. This remarkable fact was never inevitable and should not be taken for granted.

Furthermore, the Early Americans who looked towards the biblical narrative for inspiration doesn’t end with the first Thanksgiving, in fact, that’s only where it begins.

At the first presidential inauguration in 1789, George Washington held up the procedures until a bible was found, insisting upon swearing his oath of office on a bible, a tradition that has continued to this day. Every American president has referred to the Hebrew Bible in his inauguration address, comparing his generation to the Israelites in the wilderness, confronted with challenges, yet on the verge of the promised land. British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has pointed out that what is interesting is that not only does every American president look to the biblical narrative for inspiration, but America is the only country in the world where this occurs!

The very first Americans believed that they were chosen to be a special people with a unique mission for a new world. The Jewish people have always claimed that it was our universal mission to promote the values of peace, freedom and hope, but unfortunately, for the last 2,000 years no one was listening. From its inception, however, America was different.

The “American Dream” has developed from these great biblical themes, which is why that despite pockets of anti-Semitism in American history, there has always been a deep and distinct appreciation for the Jewish people. We repeatedly hear references to America’s “Judeo-Christian values” which is one of the principle reasons for America’s strong support for the State of Israel.

I celebrate Thanksgiving because it is the day that celebrates a proud fact, that the lessons from our Torah have been ingrained into the American soul. As a Jew, I am thankful for the fact when America was discovered, America discovered the bible.

IDF Gets 50 Huge Sukkahs and More!

As Sukkot draws near, fifty IDF units are receiving giant-sized modular Sukkahs, courtesy of the Ahavat Yisrael project headed by Rabbi Menachem Ofan. In addition, 1,000 sets of the “Four Species” (Arbaat HaMinim) have been donated.

The Sukkahs and Four Species sets were given to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers (AWIS), which has received requests from various IDF units and from the IDF Rabbinate for assistance in helping IDF soldiers celebrate the holiday properly and in accordance with Jewish law.

AWIS is transferring the sukkahs to IDF units and to the Soldiers’ Hostels (known as Beit HaHayal) and recreation villages it maintains throughout Israel.

The Four Species sets are being transferred to the IDF Rabbinate.

It is crticial that our brave soldiers are able to celebrate our joyous holidays, even when they find themselves far away from the comforts of home.

A special thank you to The Ahavat Yisrael Project Leaders (the organization name means “loving the people of Israel” – our fellow Jews) for making this possible!

Sukkot – A Celebration For Every Nation!

There’s a party in Jerusalem and EVERYONE is invited! Watch this entertaining sneak preview into Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, as celebrated in Jerusalem today.

Ari Abramowiz and Jeremy Gimpel will take you to the heart of Israel you’ll see the restoration of an ancient tradition of the Jewish People where thousands of people from all nations of the world voyage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Sukkot Festival (Feast of Tabernacles).

Security Forces on High Alert as Israelis Mark Yom Kippur

Since Friday night, security and rescue forces are on high alert and deployed in large numbers in Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank for Yom Kippur.

Security was on high alert in Jerusalem in preparation for the Jewish High Holiday, train and bus services ended throughout the country and will resume Saturday evening. Streets and highways also emptied in observance of Yom Kippur.

Security crossings into Israel from the West Bank were temporarily closed Thursday night and will open again at midnight on Saturday in accordance with security assessments adopted by the IDF.

The security presence in Jerusalem was also beefed up on Friday in preparation for Yom Kippur.

Train services throughout the country ended at 11:30 a.m and Egged bus services stopped running at 1:30 p.m. Bus services will resume at 7:30 pm on Saturday.

As occurs every year, streets and highways across the country are also empty of private traffic in observance of Yom Kippur.

The fast will begin at at 4:41 p.m in Jerusalem, 4:58 p.m in Tel Aviv, 4:50 p.m. in Haifa and will last 25 hours.

Shana Tova from Israel – Have a Sweet New Year!

From the Rabbi's Study:

This week the Jewish people will be celebrating Rosh Hashana – the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashana begins Wednesday at sundown and is a two day holiday concluding Friday night at which time we inaugurate the first Sabbath of the New Year.

According to Jewish tradition God completed the creation of the world on Rosh Hashana. Every year on this day God takes inventory, an annual accounting. He sits in judgment over all mankind, reviewing the ‘file’ of every human being. He examines our past, our present, and our future. He weighs our actions, our behavior, and our relationships. He looks to see what direction we are going in. He evaluates what kind of year we are going to have. A true day of judgment. Our lives are in the scales.

The central feature of Rosh Hashana is the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. We are taught that blowing a ram’s horn on Rosh Hashana will serve in our merit for a good year. This is because the shofar recalls the near sacrifice of Isaac. In order to test Abraham’s allegiance to God, God commanded him to take his son Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice upon the altar. Of course, Abraham, did as he was told, but seconds before the knife was to touch Isaac’s neck, an angel called out to Abraham commanding him not to do it. It was only a test. In place of his son, Abraham offered a ram as a sacrifice to God instead.

We are told that this all happened on Mt. Moriah – the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It took place on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei – the future date of Rosh Hashana. Therefore, by blowing the ram’s horn God on Rosh Hashana God is reminded of the allegiance that our forefather Abraham displayed, and in that merit, God will seal us for a year of blessing.

The Rosh Hashana menu includes a large number of symbolic foods all representing our prayers for a sweet new year full of blessings. A short prayer is recited immediately before or immediately after partaking of these foods. The most prominent of these symbolic foods is the apple dipped in honey. Honey-based desserts are also popular on Rosh Hashana, again, symbolizing our wishes for a sweet year! The traditional challah bread that is eaten at Sabbath and Holiday meals is made round for Rosh Hashana, symbolizing the cycle of life and the cycle of the year.

In the spirit of Rosh Hashana, I want to wish each and every one of you, the United with Israel family, a Shana Tova – a happy and healthy New Year filled with God’s blessing and goodness.

With Blessings from Israel!
Rabbi Ari Enkin