Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is a major Jewish spring festival celebrating freedom and family as we remember the Exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. The main observances of this holiday center around a special home service called the seder, which includes a festive meal.

Purim is an early springtime holiday of fun, fivolity, and generosity. It’s a holiday that feels like it’s made for families. Traditions include dressing up, sharing gift baskets or mishloach manot with friends, making noise by shaking groggers, and staying up late with your friends and community. People do tzedakah and also read the Book of Esther, or megillah, which shares the story of how the Jews of Persia were saved from annihilation.

Seven weeks after Passover ends, it’s time to celebrate Shavuot. This holiday marks the biblical story of receiving the Ten Commandments and the Torah at Mt. Sinai. While many families don’t regularly celebrate Shavuot, it’s a holiday that’s totally made for kids –a perfect excuse for sleepovers, flower picking, ice cream socials, and lots of other fun activities.

Simchat Torah is the exuberant conclusion to the fall holiday season in the Jewish calendar. It is an unforgettable outpouring of joy and celebration, all about one thing: the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year. This means celebrations, happiness, and also reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the coming one. For families, there are so many wonderful traditions to engage in–dipping apples in honey, braiding and tasting round challah, making cards, and listening to the blast of the shofar. Be sure to wish your family and friends, “L’shana tova,” a happy and sweet new year

Rosh Hashanah is just the beginning of the new year festival. Ten days after Rosh Hashanah comes Yom Kippur, a day focused entirely on apologizing for our actions over the past year.

On Sukkot Jewish families build a temporary hut (sukkah) with an open roof made of branches to let in moonlight and an open side to welcome guests.

Chanukah starts on the 25th of Kislev, a month in the Hebrew calendar that usually falls within November or December. Also known as the Festival of Lights, the holiday celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean revolt against the Syrian-Greek army. The holiday takes place for eight nights and days, commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple.