Holidays in Israel 2025 (public and unofficial)

In this publication, All-Holidays.Info will consider the following topic: holidays in Israel 2025. We will provide the exact dates of state and unofficial holidays in chronological order. We will give brief explanations for some of them.

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Holidays in Israel 2025 – this is important to know!

Public holidays in Israel are mainly dedicated to religious events. Their dates do not depend on the Gregorian or Julian calendar. They are calculated according to the traditional Jewish lunisolar calendar. Therefore, the dates of holidays change every year.

This article lists the holidays in Israel in 2025. They can be divided into two types: public holidays (official holidays) and unofficial holidays. On public holidays, educational institutions are closed, most government agencies and private businesses do not work.

Unofficial holidays may be traditional, their dates are not always fixed by the Knesset. Some unofficial holidays have specific dates. But they are not non-working days. Although schools may be closed on such holidays.

In most countries, the holiday lasts one day. In Israel, this is not the case. Usually, the holiday begins after sunset on the first day and ends at sunset on the second day. In this case, the first holiday day is a regular working day. In this publication, we list the holidays in Israel 2025 with reference to the second day. This is when Israelis celebrate the holiday.

January 2025

  • January 2, 2025, Thursday – Hanukkah (day 8) – unofficial holiday.
  • January 10, 2025, Friday – Asarah b’Tevet (the tenth of Tevet) – an unofficial holiday.
  • Tuesday, January 21, 2025 – Hebrew Day – an unofficial holiday.

What is the holiday of Asar B’Tevet?

Asarah Be’Tevet (Asara b’Tevet) is a minor fast day in Judaism that commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, which ultimately resulted in the destruction of the First Temple. Asarah Be’Tevet is observed as a day of fasting from dawn until nightfall. The fast is considered less strict than major fast days such as Yom Kippur . Although not a public holiday, it is recognized by the Chief Rabbinate. In Israel, it has acquired additional significance as a day of communal prayer for Holocaust victims whose date of death is unknown.

February 2025

  • February 13, 2025, Thursday – Tu Bishvat – unofficial holiday.
  • February 28, 2025, Friday – Family Day – unofficial holiday.

March 2025

  • March 13, 2025, Thursday – Fast of Esther – unofficial holiday.
  • March 13, 2025, Thursday – Purim Eve – unofficial holiday.
  • March 14, 2025, Friday – Purim (Tel Aviv) – local holiday.
  • March 16, 2025, Sunday – Shushan Purim (Jerusalem) – local holiday.

April 2025

  • April 8, 2025, Tuesday – Aliyah Day / Yom HaAliyah – unofficial holiday.
  • April 12, 2025, Saturday – Passover Eve – unofficial holiday.
  • April 13, 2025, Sunday – Passover (day 1)* – public holiday.
  • April 19, 2025, Saturday – Passover (day 7)* – public holiday.
  • April 24, 2025, Thursday – Yom HaShoah – unofficial holiday.
  • April 30, 2025, Wednesday – Yom HaZikaron – unofficial holiday.

* The celebration of Passover lasts for seven days, but only the first and last are public holidays and non-working days.

What is celebrated on Aliya Day?

Aliyah Day is a national holiday dedicated to the immigration of Jews to Israel and their contribution to the development of the country. It was established by the Knesset in 2016, it is a regular working day, but it is celebrated at the state level. The word “Aliyah” in Hebrew means “ascent” and refers exclusively to the return of Jews to Israel. Its date was chosen in connection with the biblical story of the entry of the Jews into the Land of Israel.

May 2025

  • Thursday, May 1, 2025 – Israel Independence Day – a public holiday.
  • May 8, 2025, Thursday – Herzl Day – unofficial holiday.
  • May 16, 2025, Friday – Lag BaOmer – unofficial holiday.
  • Monday, May 26, 2025 – Jerusalem Day – an unofficial holiday.

Who is Theodor Herzl?

Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) was the founder of the modern political Zionist movement. He worked as a journalist and writer until the anti-Semitism he encountered prompted him to take up the Jewish cause. In 1896, he published his famous book, The Jewish State, which outlined his vision for a Jewish national home. Herzl organized the First Zionist Congress in 1897 in Basel, Switzerland, which led to the creation of the World Zionist Organization.

June 2025

  • June 1, 2025, Sunday – Shavuot Eve – unofficial holiday.
  • June 2, 2025, Monday – Shavuot – public holiday.

July 2025

  • July 13, 2025, Sunday – 17 Tammuz – unofficial holiday.
  • July 25, 2025, Friday – Jabotinsky Day – an unofficial holiday.

What is celebrated on Jabotinsky Day in Israel?

Jabotinsky Day is a memorial day in honor of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a prominent Zionist leader, author, and founder of Revisionist Zionism. It was established by the Knesset in 2005. Although Jabotinsky Day is not a public holiday, it is marked by special sessions in the Knesset and educational events in schools dedicated to Jabotinsky’s life and ideology.

August 2025

  • August 2, 2025, Saturday – Eve of Tisha B’Av – unofficial holiday.
  • Sunday, August 3, 2025 – Tisha B’Av – unofficial holiday.

September 2025

  • September 22, 2025, Monday – Rosh Hashanah Eve – unofficial holiday.
  • September 23, 2025, Tuesday – Rosh Hashanah – public holiday.
  • September 24, 2025, Wednesday – Rosh Hashanah (day 2) – public holiday.
  • September 25, 2025, Thursday – Fast of Gedaliah – an unofficial holiday.

October 2025

  • Wednesday, October 1, 2025 – Yom Kippur Eve – unofficial holiday.
  • Thursday, October 2, 2025 – Yom Kippur – public holiday.
  • October 6, 2025, Monday – Eve of Sukkot – unofficial holiday.
  • October 7, 2025, Tuesday – Sukkot (day 1) – public holiday.
  • October 13, 2025, Monday – Sukkot (7th day) / Hoshana Rabah – unofficial holiday.
  • October 14, 2025, Tuesday – Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah – public holiday.
  • Wednesday, October 29, 2025 – School Holidays Yom HaAliyah is an unofficial holiday.

November 2025

  • Monday, November 3, 2025 – Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day – an unofficial holiday.
  • November 20, 2025, Thursday – Sigd – unofficial holiday.
  • November 26, 2025, Wednesday – Ben-Gurion Day – an unofficial holiday.

Who was Yitzhak Rabin?

Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli political and military leader, and the fifth Prime Minister of Israel. He had a distinguished military career, serving as Chief of Staff during the Six-Day War in 1967. He later moved into politics, serving as Prime Minister from 1974–77 and 1992–95. Rabin is best known for his efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, particularly his role in the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, along with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat.

Who is Ben-Gurion?

David Ben-Gurion was a prominent Zionist leader and the principal founder of the State of Israel. Born in Poland in 1886, he immigrated to Palestine in 1906 and quickly became involved in the Zionist movement. Ben-Gurion played a critical role in establishing Israel’s independence, serving as the country’s first prime minister from 1948-1954 and from 1955-1963. He played an important role in shaping many of Israel’s key institutions, including its military and government structure.

December 2025

  • December 15, 2025, Monday – Hanukkah (day 1) – unofficial holiday.
  • December 20, 2025, Saturday – Hanukkah (day 6) / Rosh Chodesh Tevet – unofficial holiday.
  • December 22, 2025, Monday – Hanukkah (day 8) – unofficial holiday.
  • December 30, 2025, Tuesday – Asara be-Tevet (10th of Tevet). – unofficial holiday.

In this article, All-Holidays.Info covered the following topic: holidays in Israel 2025. We provided the exact dates of public and unofficial holidays, broken down by month. We hope you found the information you were looking for. Don’t forget to share this publication with your friends!