Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem 2026
Sep 11 – Sep 13, 2026 · updated daily
Rosh Hashana 5787 begins on Friday evening, 11 September 2026, and lasts two days — Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. This year the holiday runs straight into Shabbat, which means three consecutive days when the city is closed.
Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem: festive prayers at the Western Wall and the city's historic synagogues, Tashlich by the city's springs, holiday feasts — and in the days before the holiday, a wave of fairs, concerts, and preparation events.
On the holiday days themselves the city rests as it does on Shabbat — most restaurants and attractions are closed, and the magic is in the quiet streets and the prayers. The events and fairs concentrate in the days before the holiday and are updated on this page. For the great night experience, the Selichot nights around the holiday are Jerusalem's peak.
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Join the WhatsApp channelRosh Hashana 2026 is over — this page will be updated with next cycle's dates and events. Meanwhile: all upcoming events in Jerusalem
FAQ — Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem
When is Rosh Hashana 2026?
Rosh Hashana 5787 begins on Friday evening, 11 September 2026, and runs for two days — Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. Because the holiday runs into Shabbat, the city is closed for three days straight; shop and plan before Friday midday.
What is open in Jerusalem on Rosh Hashana?
On the holiday days themselves most businesses, restaurants, and attractions are closed, much like on Shabbat. Some hotels offer holiday meals for guests. The days before the holiday are packed with fairs, shows, and preparation events — all listed on this page.
When is the shofar blown in 2026?
Only on Sunday 13 September, at morning prayers. The first day of the holiday falls on Shabbat this year, and the shofar is not sounded on Shabbat — so anyone planning a Saturday-morning shofar experience will not hear one. It is blown on the second day only, which is also a day with no public transport, so stay within walking distance of a synagogue.
Where is Tashlich done in Jerusalem?
This year Tashlich moves to the second day — Sunday 13 September, after the afternoon prayer — because the first day falls on Shabbat. Jerusalem has no sea and no river, so people walk to the springs: Lifta and the springs of Ein Karem are the ones still holding water at the end of summer. The Mamilla Pool and the Sultan's Pool, despite their names, are ancient dry reservoirs — the Sultan's Pool is used as a concert venue — and Tashlich cannot be said beside them. Where no spring is within reach, the custom is to recite it beside any water source, including at home.
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