Holidays

Hofstra Hillel strives to offer quality holiday programming for students. Below, you will find information about celebrating holidays at Hofstra.  For more information about holidays in general, please visit myjewishlearning.com.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Visit the Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur section of the website

Sukkot
The Hofstra Hillel sukkah is constructed between the Mack Student Center and Alliance Hall.  Students are encouraged to come by and eat meals, study or attend programs in it. Please check our event calendar for a full listing of programs during the week of Sukkot

Simchat Torah
Hofstra Hillel encourages students to attend Simchat Torah services at one of the local synagogues. If you need information about where Simchat Torah services will be held, please email Rabbi Meir

Chanukah
Depending on when Chanukah falls during the academic calendar, Hofstra Hillel may or may not provide holiday programming. Typically, we host several candle lightings around campus and a big Chanukah party complete with homemade latkes. Please check the event calendar to see what we're doing for Chanukah this year!

Purim
Purim programming is also dependant upon the academic calendar. Sometimes Purim falls during spring break. If Purim falls when school is in session, we typically host a megillah reading and/or a Purim party. Please check the event calendar to see what we're doing for Purim this year!

Passover
Passover is another holiday that may fall during the spring break. If not, classes will be cancelled on the first two days of Passover.  Hofstra Hillel has many options for students who remain on campus for the holiday.

On the first and second nights of Passover, several community members and Hillel staff open their homes to students who want to attend a family-style seder. If you are interested in joining a family for the first or second night seder click on home hospitality at least one week before the holiday. If you are a family interested in hosting, please click here.

Hillel staff will connect students who live far from campus with students who live locally as well.

Students can also host their own seder with Hillel's Seder-in-a-Box program. Contact Rabbi Meir if you are interested.

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)
Every year Hofstra Hillel commemorates Yom HaShoah.  In a central location on campus, students pay tribute to the six million Jewish martyrs by reading many of their names.  Members of the faculty, staff, and administration also participate in this solemn memorial vigil.  Hillel also invites Holocaust survivors to campus to speak with students.  Through the Genocide Fellows Program, Hillel partners with other student organizations to raise awareness about issues in Darfur, Congo and other countries around the world.  Check out the events calendar to see what we are doing this year.

Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Israel Independence Day)
Hofstra Hillel celebrates Yom Ha'atzma'ut in a variety of ways.  The festivities, in a high-profile location on campus, include Israel music, free falafel, and distribution of information about Israel.

There are also opportunities to plant trees in Israel and write expressions of their hopes and prayers to pin on our local replica of the Western Wall.  Hofstra students bring these notes to Israel and insert them in the actual Western Wall in Jerusalem.  Please check the event calendar to see what we're doing for Yom Ha'atzma'ut this year!