Jewish life is punctuated by the significant days on our calendar. Shabbat reminds us to pause, unplug, connect, and experience gratitude for what we have. Holidays are moments to celebrate not only the passing of time but our connection to the natural world, our global Jewish community, and our place in Jewish history. At the JCC, we celebrate Shabbat and holidays with joy, creativity, and connection, honoring the diverse Jewish practices of our members and the customs and traditions that make up the community we have created over the last 30+ years.
Shabbat Shalom (Hebrew for peaceful Shabbat), Gut shabbos (Yiddish for good sabbath), Shavua tov (used on Saturday nights and Sundays after Havdalah, Hebrew for good week).
Shabbat / שַׁבָּת, is a significant day of rest and reconnecting in Judaism. It begins at sundown on Friday and ends at nightfall on Saturday. Shabbat is observed as a weekly day of rest and spiritual reflection, based on the biblical commandment to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Shabbat is a time for Jewish people and families to come together in many ways, and enjoy a day of rest and peace. Shabbat provides an opportunity for spiritual renewal, reflection, and spending quality time with loved ones. It holds a central place in Jewish tradition and is considered one of the most important observances in Judaism.
It is amazing that a holiday that occurs weekly still holds the awe and anticipation of something rare and fresh. Shabbat at the JCC begins Thursday afternoon with Shabbat in the Town Square (SITTS), a free, multi-sensory Shabbat preparation experience. We invite participants to create Shabbat kits to take home, including candles, challah, and more. SITTS is an opportunity to make a Shabbat kit, play games with a new friend, and enjoy the rhythm and energy of pre-Shabbat rituals.
Shabbat at the JCC continues on Fridays in our nursery school, where children receive a free challah every week and sing Shabbat songs with our JCC musicians. Each student has the opportunity to bring their family in for a designated Shabbat experience led by the child and their family. Friday’s festivities continue with toddler-approved ShaJam music class with Tkiya music and Shabbat Together.
Friday night is another celebration of abundance with our signature Shabbat Shabbang program. Shabbat Shabbang begins in the lobby for blessings and appetizers; our crowd (usually hundreds of people) then transitions into 4–6 concurrent dinners, some for the traditionally observant and some that play with Shabbat traditions in a contemporary way. At any given Shabbang, our dinner lineup might be: a text study, a concert, a social justice conversation, a game night, a short film, and/or a book talk. The Shabbang meal is always abundant and always dairy/vegetarian.
We also host summer Shabbat dinners on our roof for our 20s + 30s groups and cozy winter dinners for our young families. These gatherings bring warmth, connection, and the spirit of Shabbat into unique settings, allowing different communities to celebrate in ways that feel meaningful to them.
January–March brings R&R, our Saturday afternoon Shabbat happening, to the JCC. R&R is a free, three-hour open house where all are welcome. We have music, cooking, open play, films, adult learning, volunteer projects, and much more. R&R must be experienced to be believed, a temporary community created weekly, with all levels of observance respected.
We have set our sights on the ceremony of Havdalah, a short series of blessings and rituals designed to help us transition from the sacred vibrations of Shabbat into the more regular week ahead. Stay tuned for this newest Shabbat experience, coming soon.
Shanah tovah umtukah, which means “May you have a good and sweet new year.” The greeting can be shortened to Shanah tovah (a good year) or stated formally as L’shanah tovah tikateivu v’teichateimu, which means “A good year, and may you be inscribed and sealed (for blessing in the Book of Life).”
Elul / אֱלוּל is the final month of the Jewish calendar before the New Year, usually falling in late summer or early autumn. Elul holds special significance as the month that precedes the High Holy Days and serves as a time of spiritual preparation leading up to Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). It is considered a month for repentance, reflection, and self-examination. Jews are encouraged to engage in personal introspection, consider their actions and behaviors from the past year, and seek reconciliation with others in pursuit of repentance and spiritual growth.
Rosh HaShanah / רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה is the Jewish New Year, marking the beginning of the High Holy Days—a ten-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” or “first of the year.” It is a time of hope and renewal, as we seek blessings for happiness, health, and spiritual growth.
Beyond prayer, the holiday includes sounding the shofar, scattering breadcrumbs for tashlich, and enjoying special foods that symbolize new beginnings, sweetness, and the opportunities we hope the new year will bring.
Yom Kippur / יוֹם כִּפּוּר, the Day of Atonement, is a time for fasting, repentance, and prayer. It is a day for personal reflection, seeking forgiveness from both God and others, and focusing on spiritual renewal.
The holiday follows Rosh Hashanah by ten days and is observed with a 25-hour fast, beginning before sunset on Kol Nidre and ending after nightfall on Yom Kippur. The fast includes abstaining from food, drink, bathing, wearing leather shoes, and other physical comforts to heighten our spiritual focus and deepen our gratitude for life’s blessings.
Each year, we create varied and accessible entry points to the High Holidays for those who are not synagogue-affiliated, see the JCC as their primary community, or seek new and meaningful ways to engage.
By focusing on specific values and motifs, we offer fresh, modern perspectives on traditions that many have observed their whole lives. The Jewish New Year serves as inspiration for creative and dynamic celebrations that go beyond traditional services.
During the High Holiday season, the JCC reaches thousands of community members through diverse programs, plus meaningful prayer options at JCC Harlem. Our offerings span:
Signature programs include:
✔ Chartered visits to local cemeteries to honor loved ones
✔ Healing and memory circles
✔ Cohort-based tashlich experiences
✔ Forgive Me Film-a-thon – a unique Yom Kippur observance
✔ Holiday prep experiences from challah baking to spiritual reflection
✔ Diverse rabbi-led services at JCC Harlem
Tizku l’shanim rabot, which means “May you merit many years.”
A greeting for Ashkenazi Jews during the High Holiday season is the Yiddish Gut yontif, which means “Wishing you a good holiday.” Sephardi Jews may offer a greeting in Ladino, Anyada bueno, dulse, i alegre, meaning “May you have a good, sweet, and happy new year.” Special greetings on Yom Kippur include G’mar chatima tovah, which means, “May you be inscribed (or sealed) for good (in the Book of Life),” and Tzom kal, which is used to wish others an easy fast.
Moadim l’simcha (“May your times be happy”) is used on both Sukkot and Passover, particularly the intermediate days of the festival. The traditional response is Chagim u’zmanim l’sasson (“Joyous holidays and seasons”).
Sukkot / סֻכּוֹת is a joyous holiday that lasts for seven days (eight days outside of Israel) and is observed as a commemoration of the Children of Israel’s journey through the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. The central theme of Sukkot is symbolized by the temporary dwellings or booths called “sukkot” (singular: sukkah) that recreate the quickly constructed shelters our ancestors built to survive outdoors. During Sukkot, we eat meals and sometimes sleep in the sukkah. The roof of the sukkah must be made in a way that allows us to see the stars at night while still providing shade during the day. This connects us with the fall agricultural and harvest symbolism of the holiday and reminds us of our deep connection to nature.
After the deep personal reflection of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is a sincere pleasure to move into the festival of Sukkot. This is a time when the JCC opens its doors, creating a temporary, shared space for the whole Upper West Side to come together.
Sukkot celebrates the harvest—not just of food, but of the relationships we nurture all year. Our sukkot welcome a diverse community, including local synagogues, national Jewish organizations like BBYO and the Jewish Agency, and various groups within our community.
Typically, we have four sukkot at the JCC:
During Sukkot, we welcome dairy/vegetarian meals—no kosher certification required—to ensure inclusivity for all.
Each year, our Laurie M. Tisch Gallery features a site-specific “artist sidewalk sukkah”, extending Jewish tradition into public space.
This sukkah serves two purposes:
It brings the artistry of our gallery beyond the lobby walls and into the streets.
By filling it with tables, chairs, lulavim and etrogim, we extend the sacred communal space to the curious, the unsure, and the non-traditional.
Most uniquely, our artist sidewalk sukkah is accessible 24 hours a day for the length of the holiday, ensuring that everyone can take part in the celebration.
Happy Chanukah, Chag Chanukah sameach (Hebrew for “Happy Chanukah”), Chag urim sameach (“Happy Festival of Lights”), Ah freilichin khanike (Yiddish for “Happy Chanukah”) and Chanukah alegre (Ladino for “Happy Chanukah”).
Chanukah / חֲנֻכָּה Any way you spell it, C/Hanuk/kah is the Festival of Lights, a winter solstice holiday that celebrates the spreading and sharing of light and religious freedom, even under persecution and against dramatically difficult odds. The historical background of Chanukah goes back to the second century CE, when the Jewish people were under the rule of the Seleucid Empire, which sought to suppress Jewish religious practices. The Jewish rebellion, led by a group called the Maccabees, was successful in liberating Jerusalem and reclaiming the Second Temple. When the Maccabees rededicated (the meaning of the Hebrew word Chanukah is “dedication”) the Temple, they found enough oil to keep the menorah (a seven-branched candelabrum) lit for only one day. However, miraculously, the oil lasted eight days until more oil could be prepared. To commemorate this miraculous historical event and the miracle of the oil, we eat various delicious treats fried in oil, light our own menorah in our homes and communal gathering places, play games like dreidel that retell the story, and exchange gifts.
Although we are excellent at packing much meaning and merriment into a short holiday (Tikkun Leil Shavuot anyone?) We really thrive when the holiday is a week or longer because we have the opportunity to use each day of the festival or holiday as a platform for our many program areas to shine their light on the whole JCC. Like many important Jewish days at the JCC, we celebrate by cohort group throughout the building (including our 20s + 30s and Modern Aging Chanukah parties) and collectively in the lobby for our evening lighting. Each night’s lobby lighting is hosted by a different program department, and might include live music, craft projects, olive oil tasting, or movement activities. We hold bereavement programs and community circles as well as Chanukah-themed fitness classes, comedy shows, and parenting programs.
Although there is no designated greeting for Tu B’Shevat, some people do use Chag sameach.
Tu B’Shevat / ט״ו בִּשְׁבָט, also known as the New Year for Trees, celebrates the renewal and blossoming of nature in the Western hemisphere just when spring is arriving and sap is starting to flow after a long winter. Observed on the 15th day (in Hebrew the letters ט and ו) of the Hebrew month of Shevat, it is a time when Jews around the world honor the environment and express gratitude for the earth’s abundant gifts. Traditions include planting trees, eating fruits and nuts native to the Land of Israel, and engaging in ecological awareness activities. Tu B’Shevat serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world, encouraging reflection on our responsibility to care for the environment and ensure a sustainable future.
Tu B’Shevat is a relatively minor holiday in the Jewish calendar. Fortunately, our year-round commitment to climate and sustainability enables us to celebrate annually in a few ways. Our program departments often host Tu B’Shevat seders, a kabbalistic practice created in the holy city of Safed in the 1600s. Like at a Passover seder, we drink four cups of wine; however, there’s no matzah on this table. Instead, we eat dried fruits and nuts in a specific sequence.
We have hosted traditional and alternative sederim for Tu B’Shevat, as well as an Ask the Rabbi: First Fruits edition where our own Rabbi Yael Rapport answered pressing spiritual questions and offered bites of fruits. Tu B’Shevat is also celebrated in our nursery school and R&R: Shabbat at the JCC, with planting and rooftop gardening activities, recycled art challenges, and conversations about our responsibility to the earth.
Chag Purim sameach or Purim sameach (“Happy Purim”) and Freilechen Purim (Yiddish for “Festive Purim”).
Purim / פּוּרִים is an over-the-top joyous holiday that emphasizes celebration, gratitude, and community. It serves as a reminder of the Jewish people’s survival against persecution by retelling the story of Megillat Esther, the Book of Esther, a part of the Jewish canon relaying history significantly after the Torah. When the Jewish people were living in Diaspora in the Persian Empire, around the 5th century BCE, an evil advisor to the King, Haman, devised a plan to annihilate the Jewish population. However, the queen, Esther, who is Jewish herself but has concealed her identity, intervenes and reveals Haman’s plot to the king. As a result, the Jewish people are saved.
We read and dramatically reenact this story, reveling in its hidden twists and narrative turned upside-down. We send gifts of sweets to those we cherish, called mishloach manot, and give gifts of charity so that everyone may experience a day of joy.
Although the Purim story is filled with highs and lows, our JCC celebration is only joyful. JCC staff loves the merriment of Purim, and our annual staff costume contest never disappoints. Our LGBTQIA+ department hosts a queer megillah reading and the unforgettable Vashti Ball. Families, older adults, and 20 + 30s each stake out a floor of the building for their respective Purim bashes, while the smell of hamentaschen drifts up from our culinary center. Time it right and you will walk through our lobby event, with face-painting, crafts, and mishloach manot (Purim gift baskets) for all.
Chag Pesach sameach (“Happy Passover” in Hebrew), A ziessen Pesach (“Sweet Passover” in Yiddish), Chag kasher v’sameach (“Happy and kosher holiday,” referring to Passover’s food restrictions). As on any happy holiday or festival, we can say Chag sameach or Gut yontif.
Passover / פֶּסַח / Pesach anchors the Jewish calendar in the spring, commemorating our central story of Exodus and liberation from slavery, as well as growth and renewal of the season. The first two evenings of this week-long festival (eight days outside of Israel) are devoted to the seder, a special “ordered” dinner-theater ritual that helps retell and relive the story of Exodus. We eat special foods such as matzah (unleavened bread), but also consciously restrict ourselves from an everyday diet. Observant Jews follow the laws of kashrut/keeping kosher specific to Passover, abstaining from eating or possessing any leavened products that are not certified as kosher for Passover.
Passover at the JCC leverages the partnership between The Gottesman Center for Jewish Living (CJL) and The Joseph Stern Center for Social Responsibility (CSR). This collaboration allows us to create conversations and high-level panels about the Jewish response to hunger in our own city, curate volunteer opportunities with West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH), and erect a community-wide chametz (food that is not kosher for Passover) donation to WSCAH’s food access program. In addition to our shared justice work, we also serve as a community resource for those looking to attend a seder.
Our Center for Jewish Living also leads an onsite tour in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s extensive Egyptian Art galleries, highlighting the story of Passover contained within the collection. It wouldn’t be Passover at the JCC without our Rabbis Teach Passover class, an opportunity to learn everything about the holiday from the finest Jewish minds of the Upper West Side. Meanwhile, our annual 20s + 30s matzah pizza event allows everyone to channel their inner welder, cooking with blowtorches on our rooftop. Like many holidays, we acknowledge the empty seat at the holiday table with our bereavement programs.
Yom HaShoah / יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה is Holocaust Remembrance Day, marked uniquely on the Jewish calendar on the 27th of Nisan (usually in April or May), the anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a significant act of Jewish resistance against the Nazis in 1943. It is a time to honor the over six million Jewish lives lost and communities destroyed, pay tribute to the survivors, and reaffirm the commitment to “Never Forget” the horrors of the Holocaust.
One of the most meaningful days of the year at the JCC is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we hold a series of events and observances that exemplify our essential role as a convenor and honor our commitment to remembering the Shoah and all of those that perished. The JCC is committed to exemplifying and teaching our constituents of all ages, particularly the next generation, that we will never forget.
Every year, the JCC convenes the Upper West Side Jewish community by organizing the Yom HaShoah Reading of the Names. For over 20 years, the JCC has brought together the diverse synagogues and private, public, and Jewish day schools across the UWS for a 24-hour reading of the names of Jews murdered in the Shoah. The reading begins on the eve of Remembrance Day and continues throughout the night and all through the next day. Each year the overnight reading rotates among the Upper West Side synagogues, with rabbis and members from more than 25 congregations and communities of all denominations participating.
Our Saviors on the Screen series curates films about the Holocaust, often with their actors and directors present, using the medium of art to explore collective grief, bravery, and heroism. Our program offerings typically include other artistic explorations such as live theater, book readings, and concerts, all designed to create an immersive experience for our community.
Yom Ha’atzmaut / יוֹם הָעַצְמָאוּת or Israel Independence Day, commemorates the establishment of the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948, which corresponds to the Hebrew calendar date of 5th Iyar in a given year (usually in April or May). The declaration following the termination of the British Mandate made by David Ben-Gurion, then head of the Jewish Agency and first Prime Minister of Israel, marked a momentous event in Jewish history: the realization of a long-held aspiration of a recognized homeland for the Jewish people in the land of Israel, and the first time governance of such a state by Jews and for Jews had been in effect since the Hasmonean period of the Maccabees. For Israelis and many Jews around the world, Yom Ha’atzmaut is a day to express gratitude for the existence of this dream and to celebrate the vitality and resilience of the Jewish people.
As the Hebrew month of Nisan recedes, we begin Iyar, the month of radiance. The connected holidays of Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Hazikaron swivel our focus toward programs that prioritize the needs of our Israeli constituents (most of whom completed mandatory military training in Israel when they were 18) and recognize the solemn nature of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s day of remembrance for fallen soldiers. Our Yom Hazikaron programs are conducted in Hebrew and meet the needs of a vibrant expat community living locally. The acknowledgment of what the soldiers have sacrificed is what allows us to shift into our next holiday. Yom Hazikaron is followed immediately by Yom Ha’atzmaut, where we celebrate the best of Israeli society and culture with Shabbat dinners, stand-up comedy, dance performances, conversations with Israeli politicians, and multiple concerts featuring a wide range of Israeli music (rap, rock, folk, worship, etc).
We would never presume to tell another what kind of relationship they should have with the state of Israel. Instead, we create spaces where this relationship can be developed, explored, and tested. In this way, we fulfill our mission to connect with Israel through its sights, sounds, history, and complexity. We embrace the challenge of weaving our relationships with Israel into our diverse Jewish identities through our programs during the time and throughout the year.
Chag sameach literally means “happy holiday” in Hebrew, and applies to most Jewish holidays. Gut yontiff is a Yiddishized version of the Hebrew phrase yom tov, meaning “good day” and referring to any major holiday on which work is traditionally forbidden.
Shavuot / שָׁבוּעוֹת has both historical and agricultural significance in Jewish tradition. Historically, it commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai. Agriculturally, Shavuot marks the wheat harvest in ancient Israel. Literally meaning “weeks,” Shavuot occurs seven weeks (50 days) after the second night of Passover. This holiday emphasizes the importance of Jewish learning, the connection between God and the Jewish people through the Torah, and gratitude for the seasonal shift into summer and the blessings this brings.
A special celebration of learning is customarily held on the opening evening, known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot. This is a special all-night study session where participants study Jewish texts, engage in discussions, and delve into the meaning and teachings of the Torah through many modalities. Dairy foods are one of the primary fuels of this celebration, and as many explanations are offered for this connection to the holiday as there are delicious dairy recipes around the Jewish world!
A piece of feedback we receive quite often is “I had never even heard of the holiday of Shavuot before I connected with the JCC.” Indeed, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has taken a holiday typically celebrated only by more traditional Jews and turned it into the Upper West Side’s hottest event. For the last 20 years, we have hosted the incomparable Paul Feig z”l Tikkun Leil Shavuot, an overnight experience featuring 75 programs that celebrate the best of Jewish thought, text, and culture.
Our evening starts at 9 pm with a rooftop opening event with programs beginning at 10 pm and lasting until 5 am. Each Shavuot, thousands of people stream into our building for a free night unlike any other in New York City. Our Centers of Excellence work together to create an innovative program slate each year that has something for everyone. Teens are hosted in BBYO programs; 20s + 30s host silent disco on the roof; traditionally observant Jews learn on our 7th floor sans technology with the greatest minds in contemporary Jewish thought; music lovers rock out to a different concert every hour of the night; while health heads and strength seekers move their bodies in our fitness studios. To see a sample schedule, click here. Tikkun Leil Shavuot has to be seen to be believed, especially when you see the gallons of coffee and pyramids of cheesecake served all night long.
Help us continue to ensure accessible programming for everyone. Please support Shabbat at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.
