Public Holidays in Israel

Independence Day is Israel’s official national holiday, while Memorial Day for the Fallen in Israel’s Wars and Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day are official state memorial days.[2] The Sabbath and Jewish festivals constitute established days of rest, a separate legal category from the designation of national and memorial days.[2] Alongside these observances, many citizens celebrate holidays belonging to ethnic, Muslim, Christian, and other community traditions.[1]

The calendar therefore brings together several kinds of observance: biblical festivals, celebrations and fasts established by the Jewish sages, national commemorations created after the founding of the state, and community-specific holidays.[1] These categories do not carry uniform consequences for employment, schooling, or public services: the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot are generally regular workdays, for example, whereas their principal festival days are legal holidays.[5] Purim and Hanukkah are school holidays but ordinary private-sector workdays.[6]

The Hebrew and secular calendars both have official standing, with the Hebrew calendar designated as the state’s official calendar and the secular calendar also serving officially.[2] Jewish festivals fall on fixed Hebrew dates, but their Gregorian dates change from year to year.[1][7] The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar: its months are primarily lunar, and an additional month of Adar is inserted in specified leap years to preserve alignment with the seasons.[7]

Religious observances begin in the evening before the date ordinarily shown on conventional calendars and conclude at nightfall at the holiday’s end.[8] The additional festival day observed in many Diaspora communities is generally not observed in Israel; Rosh Hashanah is an exception, lasting two days in Israel as well, while Yom Kippur lasts one day.[9] Observance also varies among Jews, rather than following a single pattern of religious practice.[8]

Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot are the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, during which Jews traveled to Jerusalem in the periods of the First and Second Temples.[1] Together with Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Shemini Atzeret, they are festivals mentioned in the Torah, each with its own meaning and laws, including restrictions on work comparable to those associated with Shabbat.[1] Their place in the Israeli calendar preserves the connection between contemporary Jewish life, biblical tradition, and Jerusalem’s ancient religious role.[1]

The calendar also includes celebrations established by the sages, including Hanukkah, Purim, and Tu b’Av.[1] Fast days in this category include the Fast of Gedaliah, the 10th of Tevet, Ta’anit Esther, the 17th of Tammuz, and Tisha b’Av.[1] These observances belong to the Jewish religious calendar but are not all state public holidays or general days off work.[1][5]

The modern statutory framework began with the 1948 Law and Administration Ordinance, which established Jewish holidays and the Sabbath as days of rest and gave non-Jews the right to observe their own Sabbaths and holidays as rest days from work.[10] The Independence Day Law of 1949 subsequently established 5 Iyar as an annual national and public holiday.[11] Later, the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People distinguished the official national holiday, official memorial days, and established days of rest, while affirming non-Jews’ right to maintain their own rest days and festivals.[2]

Independence Day marks the Declaration of Independence in 1948.[3] The British Mandate ended at midnight between May 14 and 15, but the People’s Council, headed by David Ben-Gurion, declared the state earlier on May 14, before Shabbat and before the Mandate ended.[3] Ben-Gurion read the declaration at a ceremony in Tel Aviv, where members of the council signed it; armies of several Arab countries invaded the new state the following day.[3]

The first Independence Day celebration took place in 1949, with a military parade in Tel Aviv and ceremonies, events, and prayers around Israel and in Jewish communities abroad.[3] A large military parade remained the principal event during the holiday’s first 20 years, later giving way to air-force and naval displays.[3] Official observances now include the Mount Herzl torch-lighting ceremony, a reception for outstanding soldiers, the International Bible Contest, and the Israel Prize ceremony.[3]

The state established Yom HaShoah in 1951.[8] A general Memorial Day on 4 Iyar was also established by the government in 1951, with its character and customs defined at that time; it was enacted into law in 1963.[4] Commemoration of victims of terrorism was added to Memorial Day in the late 1990s.[4] Independence Day, Jerusalem Day, Holocaust remembrance, and remembrance of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism consequently form a national commemorative layer alongside the older Jewish festivals.[1]

The legal Jewish festival holidays identified in the government employment guide are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the first day of Sukkot, Simchat Torah, the first and seventh days of Passover, and Shavuot; Independence Day is identified separately as a national holiday.[5] Counting both days of Rosh Hashanah produces nine paid Jewish-calendar holidays, including Independence Day.[12] These are the two days of Rosh Hashanah; Yom Kippur; the opening day of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret; the first and seventh days of Passover; Shavuot; and Independence Day.[12]

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins the ten-day period of introspection leading to Yom Kippur and is observed for two days in Israel.[8][9] Jewish holidays begin at sunset on the preceding evening.[8][9] Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and holiest day of the Jewish calendar, is observed through a 25-hour fast and prayer.[8] Many otherwise secular Jews also observe the day.[13]

Yom Kippur brings an especially extensive suspension of ordinary public activity: entertainment venues close, public transportation stops, and television and radio broadcasts, including news, cease.[13] Emergency and security services continue operating.[14] Private motorists’ avoidance of the roads is a longstanding social tradition rather than a legal requirement, and the resulting absence of traffic has encouraged an informal bicycle culture on roads and highways.[14][15]

Sukkot is a harvest festival recalling the temporary dwellings used during the biblical wanderings in the desert.[8] Temporary structures, or sukkot, appear on balconies, in yards, and in parking lots; observant Jews eat and sleep in them, and some secular Jews also build and decorate them.[14] In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined.[13] The intermediate days of Sukkot are a less sacred period, during which schools close and many workplaces shut or shorten their hours.[13]

Passover commemorates the Exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ liberation from slavery.[16] It lasts seven days in Israel, compared with eight days in the Diaspora; the Seder is held on the first night in Israel and on the first two nights outside Israel.[16] Only the first and last days of the Israeli seven-day festival are official holidays.[6] Shavuot commemorates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and, like the principal holy-day portion of the other pilgrimage festivals, is celebrated for one day in Israel.[8][13]

The intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot are generally regular workdays, although shorter hours and workplace closures are common.[5] Israelis also use these periods to visit recreation sites.[13] Hanukkah and Purim illustrate a different arrangement: schools close, but they remain regular private-sector workdays.[6] Purim’s public festivities include costumes and readings of the Scroll of Esther.[13] Collective agreements may provide optional days off usable on Purim, Tisha b’Av, or the intermediate festival days.[5]

Yom HaShoah, officially Yom Hazikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah, is observed on 27 Nisan and has been marked since 1951.[17] Its remembrance centers on Holocaust victims and Jewish heroism, with an association to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in the Hebrew-calendar season of commemoration.[8] Public observance includes business closures, a state ceremony at Yad Vashem, and a nationwide siren the following morning.[17] At 10 a.m., the siren introduces two minutes of silence.[13] This Israeli memorial day is distinct from International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, designated by the United Nations for the anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation.[8]

Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day for fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terrorism, is observed on 4 Iyar, beginning around sunset on 3 Iyar and immediately preceding Independence Day.[4] Its remembrance encompasses those killed in Israel’s battles and in hostile actions since the beginning of the Zionist movement.[4] Observances include lowered flags, state ceremonies, memorial prayers, candle-lighting, and bereaved families’ visits to graves.[4] Sirens sound at 8 p.m. and 11 a.m., entertainment venues close, and a Mount Herzl ceremony marks the transition to Independence Day.[18]

Independence Day’s nominal date is 5 Iyar, with observance beginning the preceding evening after Memorial Day ceremonies conclude and ending the following evening.[3] The Independence Day Law shifts the observance to 3 Iyar when 5 Iyar falls on Shabbat, to 4 Iyar when it falls on Friday, and to 6 Iyar when it falls on Monday.[11] The law also authorizes the prime minister to direct the provision of labor and services on the holiday.[11] Alongside official ceremonies, celebrations include family gatherings and barbecues; some religious Zionists attend celebratory prayers that often include Hallel.[18]

Jerusalem Day falls on 28 Iyar and commemorates Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967.[13] Sigd, an Ethiopian Jewish holiday on 29 Cheshvan, originated in Ethiopia as an expression of yearning for Zion and continues in Israel as an expression of thankfulness.[13] Sigd became a state holiday in July 2008, although that designation alone does not establish it as a general work-free day.[13]

Shabbat is the weekly legal rest day for Jews, while non-Jews may take Friday or Sunday instead.[5] Workplaces seeking to operate on Shabbat must obtain a license.[5] In much of the country, public transportation is suspended and businesses close, while essential services operate with reduced staffing.[13] Observance ranges from family and leisure activities to synagogue attendance and abstention from work.[13] Individuals are not legally required to observe, or refrain from observing, Shabbat or Jewish festivals, and restrictions on employment do not amount to a universal rule that every service or business closes.[19]

Non-Jewish workers may observe alternative religious rest days, and employers are prohibited from discriminating against workers who refuse to work on their religious day of rest.[20] Official holidays of non-Jewish religious communities receive recognition in the public sector, Arab and Druze educational systems, local government, and the private sector.[21] The communities listed in this framework include Muslims, Druze, Baha’is, Eastern Orthodox, Latin Catholics, Gregorian Armenians, Armenian Catholics, Syrian Catholics, Chaldean Uniates, Greek Catholic-Melkites, Maronites, Syrian Orthodox, and Episcopal-Evangelicals.[21] Arab municipalities also often recognize Christian and Muslim holidays locally.[10]

Employees of other religions may choose between the Jewish holiday calendar and their own religious calendar, including such observances as Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Christmas, Easter, or Druze holidays.[12] Non-Jewish employees do not receive duplicate holiday pay under both calendars.[22]

Monthly salaried employees ordinarily retain their regular salary when absent on public holidays, rather than receiving a separate holiday-pay payment.[12] Hourly or daily employees may qualify for holiday pay when they miss work because the workplace is closed, and holiday work may carry additional pay.[12] The number of paid holidays actually falling on working days varies with the calendar.[12] Holidays do not replace the normal weekly day off unless the holiday itself falls on Shabbat, and holiday eves are generally ordinary workdays unless an employment agreement provides otherwise.[5][22]

Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day are generally workdays, although employees may use annual leave to observe them.[23] Relatives of fallen security-force members or victims of hostile acts—including parents, grandparents, spouses, children, and siblings—may be absent on Memorial Day without losing salary or annual-leave days.[23] Independence Day, by contrast, is a paid day of rest, and work performed that day is treated as holiday work for pay purposes.[23]

Banking calendars can include closures beyond the ordinary employment holiday list.[24] The 2026 Bank and Public Holidays calendar, excluding Saturdays, includes Purim with separate Tel Aviv and Jerusalem dates, the opening and concluding days of Passover, Independence Day, Shavuot, Tisha b’Av, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Knesset election day.[24] It separately identifies Passover eve, Rosh Hashanah eve, and Yom Kippur eve as Bank of Israel closure days, with reduced banking hours on Fridays, holiday eves, and intermediate festival days.[24]

The movement between Hebrew and Gregorian dates is visible in the 2026 calendar: Passover spans April 1–8; Holocaust Remembrance Day April 13–14; Memorial Day April 20–21; Independence Day April 21–22; and Shavuot May 21–22.[25] Later observances include Rosh Hashanah on September 11–13, Yom Kippur on September 20–21, and Sukkot on September 25–October 2.[25] These festival and observance spans include their evening beginnings and should not be read as a list of full work-free days.[8][5]

The immediate succession of Memorial Day and Independence Day gives national mourning and celebration a shared place in Israel’s annual public life.[4] Their proximity symbolizes the connection between those who fell and the state’s existence, moving from remembrance of soldiers and civilians killed in terrorism to celebration of independence.[4][18] The transition is expressed publicly through the Mount Herzl ceremony and the conclusion of memorial observances before Independence Day begins.[18]

The calendar also sustains Jewish historical continuity through the pilgrimage festivals’ association with Jerusalem, Passover’s remembrance of freedom from slavery, and Shavuot’s commemoration of the giving of the Torah.[1][8] Its prominence extends beyond worship: government correspondence, newspapers, and many broadcasts place the Jewish date first in numerous contexts.[13] At the same time, recognition of non-Jewish rest days and festivals allows religious communities to maintain their own annual rhythms within the state’s broader calendar.[2][21]

The cultural importance of festivals was expressed by Hayim Nahman Bialik in a 1926 lecture: “The festivals rise over the weekday plain, just as the mountains rise over the earth’s plain, and every high mountain… attests to deep shocks, some of them volcanic, that took place beneath the ground of the nation.”[1] Modern observances likewise reach beyond Israel: the first Independence Day included ceremonies and prayers in Jewish communities abroad, while Sigd carried Ethiopian Jewry’s yearning for Zion into a continuing Israeli celebration of thankfulness.[3][13]

Holiday observance can also substantially alter the physical experience of public space.[14] A report on Yom Kippur linked the near-absence of motor traffic to an almost 99 percent reduction in air pollution in Israel’s main cities.[14] Another report recorded 265 injuries involving bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, electric bicycles, and hoverboards, and another 24 injuries in violent incidents during the year it covered.[15] The combination of quiet roads, widespread cycling, and emergency-service activity illustrates a distinctive public pattern alongside the day’s religious observance.[14][15]

Jerusalem Day’s framing and public celebrations have generated significant disagreement.[26] Objections arose from its beginnings, including from Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, and others, and violence has marred some later celebrations.[26] Disputes have also concerned the extent to which religious observance should shape public services, business activity, and law, particularly around Yom Kippur and relations between religious and secular Israelis.[14]

Formal recognition of community holidays has limits: the recognized-community framework excludes some Christian and other communities.[21] Commemorative practice also differs within Jewish society, with many religious Israelis preferring to remember Holocaust victims on 10 Tevet, also called Yom HaKaddish, rather than centering their observance on 27 Nisan.[27]