Holiday dating question - Jewish Dopers, please help?

Factual Questions
1

Without bogging this down with too many details, I’m the (volunteer) editor of a monthly newsletter. One of the editor’s duties is to include a short list of holidays and events in the month ahead. Because the newsletter serves a diverse group, I’m trying to make the list of holidays reflect that diversity - but brevity is of the essence, I’m afraid; I’ve only got half a page in A5 format to cover a full month. Anyway, two of the holidays listed in the September edition, which I’m working on now, presently read as follows:

Wed 15th - Rosh Hashana begins
Wed 29th - Jewish holidat of Sukkot begins

Now, erm, this former Catholic schoolgirl turned atheist knew a bit about Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and less about Sukkot, but did some research on the web to find out more, including which dates they will fall on according to the secular calendar this year. Have I made any significant errors? Given that brevity is important here, anything you would do differently?

2

First thing I’d do is change “holidat” to “holiday”… but that’s just me. grin

3

…begins at sunset.

The Jewish holidays usually begin at sunset. So RH begins at sunset on the 15th. Sukkot begins at sunset on the 29th. When looking at a nonjewish calendar it is not always certain if they are talking about the first “day” or the evening the holiday begins on.

4

As someone else said, note that it’s Sept. 15 and 29 at sunset, ie 15th (sunset) -

That seems pretty brief to me.

Also, 24th (sunset) - Yom Kippur

Can’t forget that one :smack:

;j

5

Ah! See, that’s the sort of thing I need to learn. I had assumed that if I listed Rosh Hashana, it would cover the whole “cycle” of the High Holy Days. I’ve now added Yom Kippur. And I added “…at sunset” to each listing.

Thanks!

6

The only other holidays to add would be Shmini Atzeres, which starts Wed night Oct 6 and Simchat Torah which starts Thurs night Oct 7. After that, you’re done until Channukah.

Zev Steinhardt

7

A complete calender for 2004, courtesy of the Orthodox Union. Note that for the dates given, the holiday begins sundown the previous day.

And another one for 2005.