Perhaps the most joyous of holidays for the religiously observant, Simchat Torah celebrates the completion, and subsequent restart, of the reading of the Torah. You might not know it, but throughout the year specific portions of the Torah are read every week: the Torah reading reaches its conclusion on Simchat Torah when the last verses of Deuteronomy are read.

The highlight of Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing in the Law” in Hebrew) is the hakafot, where the Torah scrolls are taken from their ark (the only time during the year) and passed to all members of the congregation, and everyone marches and dances with the Torah scrolls around the synagogue reading table. These hafakot are usually held on the eve of Simchat Torah, and the following morning, on Simchat Torah itself.

As part of the celebrations, each man and child in the congregation takes part in the celebrations by receiving an aliyah, a calling to join in the dancing celebrations or by reciting some of the Torah.  After the final aliyah of the Torah, the beginning of Genesis is read (from a second Torah scroll), and the whole Torah cycle starts all over again.

Don’t be surprised to see some really happy Jews during Simchat Torah as it’s been known for the Rabbi to bring in a bottle or two of whiskey to help the celebrations along…

In Israel, Simchat Torah celebrations are usually confined to one day, the twenty-second day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, directly after Sukkot; outside Israel they usually last two days.

The pic was taken by Meir, a guy from Tel Aviv who has some great shots of Israel to browse through. So go browse!

Over four glorious days, 16-19 October, you can overdose your senses with a variety of different harps, including the classic harp and Celtic harps, as well as Jazz, Irish, Spanish, Paraguayan, Kleizmer and even African harps!

The Festival takes place at the Tel Aviv Yafo Music Center, 10 She’erit Israel Street, Jaffa.

We’d recommend checking out the evening concerts, which are held every evening at 8:30pm (see here for a complete list) – tickets are 90 shekels. For more info about tickets, call Galit on 052-6755585.

Also worth checking out are the Coffee-Concerts, the workshops and Master Classes with leading harpists, and the first Israeli Harp Competition.

If you’re looking for other options over Sukkot, check out our guide to some of the leading Festivals over Sukkot!

You can read all about Sukkot and what it means here, but in this article we’re going to give you some amazing things to see and do over the holiday (in addition to the list of usual must-see sites in Israel).

Most of Israel will be on holiday over Sukkot, so expect many places to be crowded, the roads packed, and parents run ragged by kids…so get away from it all with our five EXTRAORDINARY events over Sukkot – for all ages, sizes and skill levels!

Leading the pack…the annual Akko Festival!

Over 30-odd years, the Acco Festival has evolved into one of the cultural events of the year in Israel. Amid the old Crusader buildings of the Old City, you can find some of the best alternative theater in Israel: Fringe theater at its best! There are local and international theater groups, and pretty much everything for everybody! This year events take place over 16-19 October. Read more…

Up, up and away at the Gilboa Hot Air Balloon Festival!

Kicking off on Monday 17th October at 3:00pm, this is a great one for all the family, with hot air balloons galore (including an amazing night show that lights up the sky), climbing walls, workshops to build miniature hot air balloons, an appearance by kids TV star Yuval HaMebulbal, and others. Go for broke and bring your own tent. The two-day festival will set you back just 65 shekels (55 shekels if you like their Facebook page!). Read more (Hebrew only)…

Enjoy the desert and big-name Israeli bands at the Tamar Festival

The Tamar Festival runs over four days from 15-19th October, and will be held in Wadi Zohar, near the Dead Sea. Expect to see some great Israeli bands, including world renowned ravers Infected Mushroom and legends Bary Sakharov, Shalom Hanoch, Yehudit Ravitz and Aviv Geffen, and don’t forget the moonlight trek (yes, for all the family) through the Dead Sea desert. Read more…

Take the family for a spin in the Crosstown Tel Aviv Bike Ride

If you and your family are into cycling, this could be the perfect event to enjoy the streets of Tel Aviv. Much of the city will be closed off to traffic in this great crosstown bike ride, meaning the streets will be as safe as possible (for those worried about the legendary Israeli driver). There are three routes to choose from, plus a concert by Israeli band The Giraffot (The Giraffes) and a mass spinning session. Read more…

Reawaken your spirit at the Zorba Buddha Festival

Get in touch with your inner self at the Zorba Buddha Festival in this amazing little oasis in the desert (Desert Ashram, south of Mitzpeh Ramon on Road 40). Taking place over 22-25 October, this is the place for you if you want performances, workshops, parties and meditation, with top hosts from the country and wide world, in the middle of nowhere. Camping facilities available. Read more…

Some honorable mentions…

Some other things to watch out for – the Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival, some arty Tabula Rasa-ing over in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market, the Haifa Film Festival, including a George Clooney (swoon…) premiere (see www.haifaff.co.il for more info), Israel’s first ever Harp Festival in Jaffa, and the annual Classical Guitar Festival over in Netanya, featuring some of the world’s greatest classical guitarists (see www.guitar-gems.com for more info).

Wherever you end up, we hope you have an EXTRAORDINARY time! And don’t forget to tell us how it was, especially if you checked out any of the above!

The Tamar Festival runs over four days from 15-19th October, and will be held in Wadi Zohar, near the Dead Sea. Meaning lots of amazing landscapes to keep you occupied, including those of Masada, Ein Gedi, and Kikar Sdom.

If you’re looking for the perfect introduction to some of Israel’s finest bands, this is your festival! Some of Israel’s biggest names will be there, including Aviv Geffen, Infected Mushroom and Bary Sacharov. And it’s not just about the music, with a planned 9km moonlit hike (5km for the less adventurous) and other great attractions to keep you entertained. In the Kikar Sdom area, there will be a Camel Enclosure, with lots of activities and events for all the family (some young Israeli bands will also be performing here and the moonlit hike also starts from here). Looks like fun, fun, fun!

The planned schedule looks like this:

October 15th

Yehudit Ravitz/Shalom Hanoch at the Zohar Canyon 21:00

October 16th

Moonlight Hike, starting at 19:30 from the Nahal Zin estuary (next to the Camel Enclosure)
The Middle East Awakens with Yemen Blues/Dudu Tassa hosts Shlomo Bar/Omar Faruk at the Zohar Canyon 21:00
Avraham Tal at Masada 03:30
Tomer Yosef at Ein Gedi (Free) 18:30

October 17th

Ehud Banai performs “Slivers of Night” while Bary Sacharov performs “You are Here” at the Zohar Canyon 21:00
Mosh Ben Ari will perform at Masada 03:30
Alma Zohar is at Ein Gedi (Free) 18:30

October 18, 2011

The final evening kicks off with opening act Knesiyat Hasechel, accompanied by the Waltz with Bashir animation team, in an audio-visual sensation at the Zohar Canyon 21:00, followed by the world famous Israeli ravers Infected Mushroom, who will be giving one of their legendary desert raves (see the clip below for a taste of them in action).
Eviatar Banai with Erez Lev Ari perform at Masada 03:30
The Churchills and The Styles are at Ein Gedi (Free) 18:30

October 19, 2011

Aviv Geffen and his father Yehonatan Geffen will be at Masada 03:30

If you need more info, get in touch with Bimot, who are in charge of ticket sales – 02-6237000, www.bimot.co.il

For more info about the Tamar Festival in English, check out the site: tamarfestival.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sukkot (some will spell it Succot) is a unique holiday in which you’ll see a ton of carefully crafted, er, huts – which are known as sukkas. They might look a little ramshackle but these huts are designed to remind all Jews that they should spend a week living in a sukka to remember how their ancestors lived in huts as they made the 40 year trek across the desert from Egypt and slavery to freedom in the Promised Land.

As God put it to Moses:

You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt

And in case you were wondering, these sukkas are not designed to be rain-proof!

Oh yes, some people might sleep in them, others host dinner parties and friends in theirs, but if you get an invite to a meal in a sukka, watch out for the leaky roof! According to Jewish law, a legit sukka has to have a roof that enables its occupants to see the stars above and to feel the rain (if it comes, which it usually doesn’t at this time of year). A little protection is good, but let’s not make it impenetrable.

And who’s Tabernacles are we feasting on? Well, a Tabernacle is actually the mobile dwelling place of the holy spirit that accompanied the Jews through their desert trek from Egypt before finally ending up in the First Temple in Jerusalem. And there I was thinking it was another delicious Israeli food…

If you’re really lucky, you might even get to see some more observant Jews shaking their lulavs (part of the Four Species, an important element of the holiday for the more religious) at you. The video below shows you how to shake that lulav!

Sukkot this year started last night (Friday) and will last 7 days. Most businesses will be open during the week, though some might be operating half-days. Schools are out, so watch out for the kids!

A home-made Sukka

Wow, another holiday. Not a surprise that this time of the year is known as the High Holy Days. There’s just too many of them! After Rosh HaShana (the Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur and now Sukkot, it’s been stop and start at work for the last month. And let’s not get started on the piles of food that have been gorged upon. Oh dear, I see a marathon session at the gym beckoning…

Anyway, Sukkot. It’s a special holiday in which you’ll see a plethora of special huts everywhere – these huts are known as sukkas. Often built out of old sheets and some wooden poles to hold it all together, many families invite their friends and family to visit, and even eat meals in the sukka. The decor of the interior of the sukka can range from totally bland to lavishly decorated with pictures, tapestries, hanging fruits and ornaments. In the pictures below you can see my in-laws going the home-made route…with home-made ornaments also aplenty.

Sukkot is known as “The Time of our Rejoicing” or “The Feast of the Tabernacles“, where it is seen as a blessing to sit in the sukka, eating, singing, telling stories – just like in the days of old, when the Jews first left Egypt and lived in tents in the desert.

Sukkot lasts for 7 days. It is followed by Simchat Torah ”The joy of the Torah”, which is an especially happy celebration during which the very last portion of the Torah is read in the synagogue during morning services and, in order to convey the idea that Torah study never ends, the very first portion of the Torah (the beginning of Genesis) is read immediately after.

Oh, and did I mention the copious amounts of food…?

If you build it...

...they will come.