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Election 2026

Israel votes on Tuesday, 27 October

The stone slabs of a Holocaust memorial

Holiday guide

Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah is Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, set by the Knesset on 27 Nisan. It is a day of state ceremonies, testimony and public reading of names.

Giulia Gasperini / Unsplash

Next Yom HaShoah
Sundown May 3, 2027 to nightfall May 4, 2027

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Full Yom HaShoah 2027 page, with candle lighting times →

Israel or the diaspora?

Observed as a state day in Israel. Many diaspora communities mark it too, though some also observe international Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January.

The interior of a city bus, empty, with hanging straps.

On the ground

What happens in Israel

A two-minute siren sounds at 10am and the country stops where it stands: drivers get out of their cars on the motorway and stand in silence. Places of entertainment are closed the evening before.

Why the date moves each year: the Hebrew calendar →

These Hanukkah gifts are drawn from the same calendars as this site.

A city's Shabbat times for 2027, the moon on the night someone was born, a bar or bat mitzvah portion, the Kinneret on a day that matters. Each one is drawn for the person you choose, then printed and shipped free.

Order by November 18 for delivery in the US before the first candle, or by November 11 for Israel.

See the Hanukkah gift guide →

The rest of the calendar

Other Jewish holidays

8 of the 14 other holidays on the Hebrew calendar, nearest date first. Every card opens a guide with dates from 2024 to 2030.

December 5, 2026

Hanukkah

The festival of lights: eight nights of candle lighting marking the rededication of the Temple. Latkes, sufganiyot and dreidels.

January 23, 2027

Tu BiShvat

The new year of the trees. Tree planting in Israel and eating the fruits of the land.

March 23, 2027

Purim

Celebrates the rescue of the Jews of Persia as told in the Book of Esther. Megillah readings, costumes, mishloach manot and festive meals.

April 22, 2027

Passover (Pesach)

The festival of freedom, marking the Exodus from Egypt. Seder nights, matzah, and no chametz for eight days (seven in Israel).

May 11, 2027

Yom HaZikaron

Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Independence Day.

May 12, 2027

Yom HaAtzmaut

Israel's Independence Day, marking the declaration of the state in 1948.

May 25, 2027

Lag BaOmer

The 33rd day of the Omer count. Bonfires, weddings and celebrations at Mount Meron.

June 11, 2027

Shavuot

The festival of receiving the Torah at Sinai. All-night learning and dairy foods. Two days in the diaspora, one in Israel.

The full holiday calendar →

Frequently asked questions

When is Yom HaShoah?+

The next Yom HaShoah begins at sundown on May 3, 2027 and ends at nightfall on May 4, 2027. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, the Gregorian date shifts each year while the season stays fixed.

What is Yom HaShoah?+

Yom HaShoah is Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, set by the Knesset on 27 Nisan. It is a day of state ceremonies, testimony and public reading of names.

Does Israel observe Yom HaShoah differently?+

Observed as a state day in Israel. Many diaspora communities mark it too, though some also observe international Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January.

What is Yom HaShoah like in Israel?+

A two-minute siren sounds at 10am and the country stops where it stands: drivers get out of their cars on the motorway and stand in silence. Places of entertainment are closed the evening before.

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