Israel's calendar divides between state holidays mandated by the Knesset and religious observances that predate statehood by millennia. The secular calendar follows the Gregorian system for international business. The Hebrew calendar governs religious life and national commemorations. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, dates shift annually against the Gregorian calendar by approximately eleven days. This creates years when Passover falls in March rather than April, when Rosh Hashanah arrives in early September rather than late. The Ministry of Interior publishes annual conversion tables eighteen months in advance for commercial planning.
Independence Day falls on 5 Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to May 14 in the Gregorian system only in the original year of 1948. In 2024 it occurred on May 14. In 2025 it will occur on May 5. The day begins at sunset the prior evening according to Hebrew timekeeping. State ceremonies open at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem with the lighting of twelve torches representing the tribes of Israel. The official torch-lighting ceremony airs on all broadcast channels simultaneously at 20:00. Military bases open to public touring. The Israel Defense Forces stages flyovers in formation above major cities at midday. Tel Aviv hosts the largest civilian gathering along the waterfront from Gordon Beach to the Tel Aviv Port, drawing between 300,000 and 400,000 attendees. Streets close to vehicle traffic in central Tel Aviv from 14:00. Free concerts occur at Rabin Square, Park HaYarkon, and Independence Park, featuring performers announced by the Tel Aviv Municipality typically two weeks prior. Fireworks launch from the Tel Aviv Marina at approximately 21:00, visible along the entire coastal strip from Herzliya to Bat Yam.
Independence Day is immediately preceded by Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, which falls on 4 Iyar. The transition from mourning to celebration occurs at sunset and is marked by a precise tonal shift. At 20:00 on Memorial Day evening, air raid sirens sound for one minute nationwide. Traffic stops. Pedestrians stand stationary. Television broadcasts switch to memorial ceremonies at the Western Wall. A second siren sounds at 11:00 the following morning for two minutes. The day features no public entertainment. Restaurants and cafes close until evening. Memorial services occur at military cemeteries in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Kiryat Shaul. The state counts 24,213 fallen soldiers as of 2024 according to the Ministry of Defense. Families of the fallen attend organized gatherings at each grave site. The practice of personal visits peaks between 08:00 and 13:00 before the transition to Independence Day.
Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, occurs on 27 Nisan, eight days before Memorial Day. The Knesset set this date in 1951 to fall between the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising anniversary on 19 April 1943 and Independence Day. A siren sounds at 10:00 for two minutes. The main state ceremony occurs at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem the prior evening, attended by the President, Prime Minister, and approximately 1,000 Holocaust survivors. Six survivors light torches representing the six million murdered. The ceremony is televised in full. Public transportation operates normally but entertainment venues close. Schools dedicate the day to educational programming. The number of living survivors documented in Israel stood at 143,000 as of January 2024 according to the Ministry of Social Equality. This number decreases by approximately 12,000 annually. Yad Vashem records the names of 4.8 million victims in the Hall of Names as of 2024, leaving approximately 1.2 million still unidentified.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls on 1 and 2 Tishrei, typically in September. The date is determined by the new moon and the calculated molad used since the fourth century CE. In 2024 it began at sunset on October 2. In 2025 it begins at sunset on September 22. All businesses close for two days. Ben Gurion Airport restricts operations, with El Al suspending flights for the full 48-hour period. Public transport ceases from approximately three hours before sunset on the first day until full darkness the second day, a span of roughly 51 hours. Religious services center on the shofar sounding, which occurs 100 times during morning prayers in traditional practice. Secular Israelis travel to beaches or nature reserves on the second day when traffic returns. The common greeting is Shanah Tovah, literally "good year." Honey and apples appear at meals as symbols, the practice traceable to the Talmudic period before 500 CE. Pomegranates are consumed whole on the second evening. Fish heads appear on tables in Sephardic households, representing the wish to be "at the head rather than the tail."
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, falls on 10 Tishrei, nine days after Rosh Hashanah. In 2024 it occurred on October 11-12. In 2025 it will occur on October 1-2. The state prohibits all broadcast transmission from sunset to sunset, the only such blackout in the calendar. All businesses close. Ben Gurion Airport suspends operations completely. No vehicles operate on roads except emergency services. Bicycles fill highways in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as children and adults ride on normally forbidden routes. The absence of cars creates an annual photographic phenomenon on the Ayalon Highway through central Tel Aviv, documented each year from overpasses. Approximately 73 percent of the Jewish population fasts according to a 2021 Israel Democracy Institute survey. This includes secular Israelis who observe no other religious practice. The fast lasts 25 hours from sunset to full darkness the following night, calculated when three stars become visible. Religious services run from approximately 18:30 through 20:00 the following evening with one break. The Kol Nidre prayer opens the fast at sunset, sung to a melody standardized in the 16th century. The closing Neilah service ends at the sound of a single extended shofar blast. Traffic resumes immediately after darkness.
Sukkot begins on 15 Tishrei, five days after Yom Kippur. The festival lasts seven days, followed immediately by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah as separate holidays. The agricultural origin designates it the Feast of Tabernacles, commemorating the 40-year desert period after the Exodus. Temporary structures called sukkot appear on balconies, in yards, and on public plazas. The structures must have at least two and a half walls, covered with natural material through which stars remain visible. Religious law requires eating meals inside the sukkah for the festival's duration. Many Israelis sleep in the structures if weather permits. The four species—palm, myrtle, willow, and citron—are held together and waved during prayers. Citrons sell for between 30 and 300 shekels depending on size and cosmetic perfection. Markets in the Mahane Yehuda area of Jerusalem and the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv dedicate sections to the four species starting two weeks before the holiday. Agricultural settlements in the Arava Valley grow citrons commercially for the holiday market. The seventh day, Hoshana Rabbah, features a ritual circling of the Torah seven times while holding the species.