The Isra and Mi'raj (Arabic: الإسراء والمعراج, al-’Isrā’wal-Mi‘rāj) are the two parts of a Night Journey that, according to Islam, the Islamic prophet Muhammad took during a single night around the year 621. Within Islam it signifies both a physical and spiritual journey, and is remembered in prayer.
The festival of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, in late winter or early spring. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” […]
Each year, corresponding with the ninth month of the lunar calendar, Muslims spend a month in daytime fasting. This observance is called Ramadan. From dawn to sunset during this month, Muslims abstain from food, liquids, smoking, and sex. This fast is an extremely important aspect of the Muslim faith: in fact, it is one of […]
To our Jewish friends, Chag Pesach kasher vesame’ach, or "May you have a kosher and joyous Passover." The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. Passover (Pesach) commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Pesach is […]
Laylat Al Qadr is considered the holiest night of the year for Muslims and is held on the 27th day of Ramadan. Translated into English as the Night of Decree, Night of Power, Night of Value, Night of Destiny, or Night of Measures, it commemorates the night that the Quran was first revealed to the […]
On Yom HaShoah, Jews all over the world mourn the six million Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust. The full name of the day commemorating the victims of the Holocaust is “Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah” – literally the “Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism.” It is marked on the 27th day in the […]
At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the "Festival of Fast-Breaking." On the day of Eid, fasting is prohibited. The end of Ramadan is generally celebrated by a ceremonial fast-breaking, as well as the performance of the Eid prayer in an open, outdoor area or mosque.
Shavuot is the celebration of the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people, also known as the Festival of First Fruits. The Torah was given by the Lord on Mount Sinai on Shavuot more than 3,300 years ago. Every year on the holiday of Shavuot, Jews renew their acceptance of the gift, and the […]
At the end of the annual pilgrimage, Muslims celebrate the "Festival of Sacrifice." It includes a ritual sacrifice of a sheep, camel, or goat, to honor the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God's command.
Al-Hijra: Muslim New Years Day Al-Hijra, the first day of the month of Muharram, marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year. Muhammed’s popularity was seen as threatening by the people in power in Mecca, and so Muhammad took his followers on a journey from Mecca to Medina in 622. This journey is called the […]
An important fast day commemorating the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE and 70 CE. It is the culmination of the Three Weeks, an annual mourning period that falls in the summer. Jews mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple and their launch into a still-ongoing exile. Tisha B’Av, or 9th […]
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, takes place at the beginning of the month of Tishrei, which is actually the seventh month of the Jewish year (counting from Nisan in the spring). It is both a time of rejoicing and of serious introspection, a time to celebrate the completion of another year while also taking […]
