Resources for Religious Inclusion

Observance

Though each holiday is celebrated with its own ceremonies and traditions, they share one thing in common: evening and daytime hours of all major Jewish holidays have restrictions that are followed by a number of Jews observing the holiday. These include not using any electricity or electronic devices including computers, cell phones, email, lights, and cars. Writing, erasing, and lighting a flame are also among forbidden actions. These are restrictions that are also observed every week on the Jewish Sabbath, Friday night until Saturday night, by Jews who are more traditionally observant.

Fall Holidays
Rosh Hashana is the Jewish New Year. This year, Rosh Hashana (pronunciation) will be observed from sundown on Monday, September 22 through sundown on Wednesday, September 24. Besides long worship services, in both the evenings and mornings, a celebratory dinner is common. Apples and honey, symbolizing a sweet new year, are commonly enjoyed, as are pomegranates and new fruits one has not yet eaten that season. A common greeting for Rosh Hashana is “Happy New Year” or “May you be written in the Book of Life.” The latter acknowledges that Rosh Hashana begins the ten-day Season of Repentance that culminates in Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur (pronunciation), the Day of Atonement, is often referred to as the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and falls this year on Thursday, October 12. It is a 25-hour fast day, beginning before sunset the day prior. No food or drink may be partaken this entire period, and most of the evening and day are spent in communal prayer. Commonly one wishes one another “An easy fast” or “A meaningful fast.”

Five days after Yom Kippur is the eight-day long holiday of Sukkot (pronunciation), the Feast of Booths. Like Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, for traditionally observant Jews, the first two and last two days of this period, October 6-8 and October 13-14, have some particular restrictions (see above). This holiday commemorates the 40-year journey of the Biblical Israelites from Egypt through the wilderness to the Promised Land of Israel. Thus, a prominent symbol and practice of the holiday is the building and dwelling in a “sukkah”, a temporary house/hut-type building often with tent-like walls and a roof made of bamboo or branches. Jews eat, study, hang out, and try as much as possible to “live” in this structure for the week. The sukkah is a reminder of the fragility of life, and of the partnership with and dependence upon God and not simply our own efforts for protection, as well as a time to experience more fully the outdoors. The MIT Hillel sukkah can be found in the Bexley Garden park along Mass Ave, across from Building 5 and next to Building W11 (40 Mass. Ave.).The holiday of Sukkot ends with two more holiday days, Shemini Atzeret (pronunciation; literally, the “eighth [day] of assembly”) and Simchat Torah (pronunciation; roughly translated as, “rejoicing with the Torah”), which also have the restrictions above. Shemini Atzeret is a “cap” on the just-completed week of festivities. It is followed the next day by Simchat Torah, during which the annual cycle of public readings from the Torah (the Five Books of Moses, which begins the Hebrew Scriptures) is completed with the chanting of the final chapters of the Book of Deuteronomy, and then immediately restarted again with chanting from the beginning of the Book of Genesis. The day’s celebration includes festive processions with the Torah scrolls, including much singing and dancing.

Why do the dates of Jewish holidays change from year to year? The Jewish calendar is mostly a lunar calendar. This means that from year to year, from the perspective of the solar Gregorian calendar, the Jewish holidays “shift” over a three to four week period of time. Thus, for example, the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana can fall from early September to early October depending upon the date of the new moon.  While the Jewish months are based on a lunar calendar, the holiday of Passover must always fall in the spring (Specifically spring time in Israel), so every few years we add an extra leap month so that Passover will always fall around the same time each year. Jewish holidays start in the evening, before sunset, and go until nightfall one or two days following.

Passover

First Days of Passover: April 1—3, Wednesday (sundown) — Friday (sundown)
Last Days of Passover: April 7—9, Tuesday (sundown)—Thursday (sundown)

​​Passover, or Pesach, is a springtime Jewish holiday that commemorates God’s liberation of the ancient Israelite people from slavery in Egypt. Like most major holidays in the Torah, Jewish Bible, it is also an agricultural holiday, specifically the yearly barley harvest. This dual identity is meant to tie the Jewish people and their sense of gratitude and awe to God both through their miraculous history and through the sustenance they get from the land. The holiday is marked by several significant practices that are observed by many Jews worldwide. The first is a large holiday meal called a Seder (meaning “order”) that happens on the first two evenings of the holiday. This meal consists of retelling the story of Passover and eating both symbolic and ritual foods to connect people to the story and provoke meaningful questions to deepen the experience for all of the participants. The main food eaten at the Seder and throughout Passover is matzah, flat unleavened bread. During the entire holiday, many Jews have the practice to not eat any food products that include leavened bread. Even Jews who are less observant of general food restrictions throughout the year are often meticulous about these dietary practices. This can limit their access to food during these 8 days, and many will choose to go home for all or part of the holiday to make it easier to keep these practices during this time. As with the weekly Sabbath and other major holidays in the Torah, many Jews do not engage in various categories of work during the first two and last two days of Pesach. This can include not using electronic devices, writing or going on public transportation. Accommodating the needs of these students during this time would only increase the sense of gratitude that marks this important holiday.

Here we want to highlight one group of students who will especially benefit from the community’s awareness in Spring 2026: Muslim students who observe Ramadan. In this article, Muslim Chaplain Nada El-Alami shares some tips for supporting students during this holy month:

Every year, Muslims fast each day of Ramadan from dawn until dusk, for the duration of the month. This year, Ramadan is expected to begin in the evening on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 and end on Thursday, March 19, 2026. The Islamic Calendar follows a lunar cycle, and while these are the calculated expected dates of Ramadan, they can differ from place to place based on moon-sightings or lack thereof. Some Muslims strictly follow calculations, while others strictly follow moon-sightings, and some follow a combination of both. What Muslims choose to follow can depend on their religious convictions, where they have lived in the world, and what their families practice. The day after the end of Ramadan (Friday, March 20, 2026) is a religious holiday called Eid-al-Fitr.

For each day of Ramadan, fasting consists of abstaining from eating or drinking, including water, while the sun is out. Once the sun has set, Muslims eat dinner, a meal called “iftar” in Arabic. Iftar is generally a community-focused meal, where family members and friends come together for the blessed occasion. Afterwards, eating and drinking during the night is allowed until dawn of the next day.

During Ramadan, it is customary for Muslims to pray extra nightly prayers and participate in other religious practices throughout the day and night, when possible. They will often wake up for or stay up until “suhur”, a pre-dawn meal.

While Muslims are expected to meet their daily schedule obligations for school and work, some accommodations are needed to be able to be successful while fully engaged in the various aspects of Ramadan. Students may reach out to faculty to request religious accommodations during Ramadan. We encourage them to have this conversation before the month begins. Accommodations could include moving the time of an exam and/or allowing more time so they can schedule it around suhur, iftar, prayer, etc. Some students may prefer to take an exam earlier in the day when they feel more energized, while others would rather take it at night.

We encourage groups and friends to have a conversation before Ramadan begins as well and talk about how Ramadan may change participation and energy levels. Consider changing events during the day to avoid food-centric events and high energy activities. Whenever possible, provide a quiet space and allow short breaks for prayer. While some students may want to preserve their energy during the fast, others may push themselves and increase their activity level. Each student is different in their ability to observe the fast and will make choices accordingly.

Students should have accommodations for final exams from March 16—19 and on Eid-al-Fitr (Friday, March 20, 2026). Students may have limited ability to work as they near the end of a long month of fasting, and Eid in particular is a time for celebration after the month of Ramadan.

While students are responsible for requesting accommodations, you can put them at ease by noting that Ramadan is approaching and that you know it may affect all aspects of students’ schedules. Your support will allow them to fulfill the requirements of the class while being spiritually engaged in the rituals of the month.

ORSEL offers this guide to the Jewish High Holidays. Rabbi Joel Dinin of MIT Hillel (rabbid at mit) is available to answer additional questions about the holidays and appropriate accommodations.