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Celebrating Jewish Festivals and Events

Core to our mission is a commitment to nourishing the roots of local Jewish life, and what better way to do this than through events that celebrate Jewish holidays and rituals. All year long there are events not to be missed!

The Jewish Food Festival started in 2012 and is an annual spring/summer event celebrating traditional Jewish foods. Ashkenazi (Eastern European), Sephardic (Mediterranean), and New York Deli specialties are all represented. Community volunteers participate in preparing and serving family favorites. Event entry is free with a free parking shuttle. Everyone is invited to enjoy good eats while raising funds for our Food Pantry and addressing food insecurities in our local community.  

Ready for next year? Let’s go!

Hanukkah is the celebration of two stories. One story is of a military victory. The other story is of a miracle. The Hanukkah miracle is the one small jar of oil that should only have burned for one day but burned for eight days until more oil arrived to keep the Eternal Light burning in the Temple. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and one candle is lit for each night.

Check out all the Hanukkah fun!

Each year on December 25th our community comes together to do good together for the larger Durham-Chapel Hill area. Typically over 550 volunteers complete service projects for over 20 organizations. This is an incredible family-friendly event for all! Service projects include everything from park clean-ups to preparing food, and making blankets for those experiencing homelessness to delivering diapers.

For more info, check out our Mitzvah Day page!

Selichot is a service of repentance in preparation for the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). Annually we gather for havdallah, a short program, and service hosted by our local rabbis.

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur the J Café bakes traditional holiday foods for the community. Round challah filled with raisins, honey cakes, and apple cakes are available for purchase. North Carolina-grown apples and locally produced honey are also available for sale to facilitate the traditional eating of apples and honey to ensure a “sweet New Year.”

Sukkot is an eight day festival celebrating the harvest. The primary symbol of Sukkot is a sukkah, a temporary structure. Families eat in their sukkah during Sukkot and fulfill the tradition of inviting others to join them for a meal in the sukkah.  During the Sukkot Festival, we make decorations, decorate the sukkah in the courtyard, and learn special Sukkot prayers and traditions. Our community members are welcome to use the sukkah for dining during Sukkot.

In addition, we host Sukkah for Good, a series of fundraisers hosted by community members during Sukkot, continuing the tradition of welcoming guests for a Sukkot meal. Celebrate Sukkot with us this year with good food, interesting conversation, and fun with friends new and old.

Each fall we participate in the worldwide Shabbos Project’s Great Challah Bake, where communities around the world commit to celebrating Shabbat in unity during a designated weekend. Hundreds gather for our annual Great Challah Bake to make challah together. Together we mix, knead, and shape the challah and then take it home to bake. In addition to making challah, this special event also provides time for noshing and connecting with friends and hearing from a dynamic speaker while our bread dough rises.   

Yom Ha’Atzmaut commemorates the declaration of independence of Israel in 1948. We celebrate this day each year with food, dancing, and song. This holiday celebration at the Levin JCC is arranged by the Jewish for Good and the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary.

The event is free and open to the public.