Rosh Hashanah 2026

When Is Rosh Hashanah in 2026?

In 2026, Rosh Hashanah falls on September 11. The observance lasts 2 days (1 day in Israel); preceded by Selichot prayers. Because Rosh Hashanah follows a 1–2 Tishrei, Hebrew lunisolar calendar; begins at sundown on the new moon of Tishrei, the exact Gregorian date shifts each year. All Jewish holidays begin at sundown and end at nightfall (when 3 stars are visible), so they span two Gregorian dates. The Diaspora observes Rosh Hashanah for 2 days, while Israel observes 1. The Hebrew calendar's leap-year cycle (7 leap years in 19) shifts the date forward ~1 month in leap years. Since Rosh Hashanah's date changes from year to year, here are the dates for the next five years so you can plan ahead: Year Date 2026 September 11 2027 October 1 2028 September 20 2029 September 9 2030 September 28

What Time Does Rosh Hashanah Start in Your Time Zone?

Rosh Hashanah, like all Jewish holidays, begins at sunset and ends at nightfall — when three stars are visible in the sky — roughly 25 hours later. This sunset-to-sunset structure comes from the biblical account of creation in Genesis, where each day is described as "there was evening and there was morning." The practical effect is that Jewish holidays effectively span two Gregorian calendar days. In 2026, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Friday, September 11 and ends at nightfall on Sunday, September 13. Because Jewish holidays begin at sunset, a family in Jerusalem will start the festival several hours earlier than a family in New York — the same Friday sunset arrives in the Middle East long before it arrives on the East Coast of the United States. Communities in the far north or south, where sunset times vary dramatically, follow specific halachic (Jewish legal) calculations to determine when the holiday begins and ends. The table below shows the observance date for Rosh Hashanah in major time zones around the world: Location Observance Date Time Zone New York, USA September 11 EST/EDT (UTC-5/-4) London, UK September 11 GMT/BST (UTC+0/+1) New Delhi, India September 11 IST (UTC+5:30) Sydney, Australia September 11 AEST/AEDT (UTC+10/+11) Dubai, UAE September 11 GST (UTC+4)

The Story Behind Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah — literally "head of the year" in Hebrew — is the Jewish New Year, observed on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (September-October). But calling it simply a "new year" understates its religious weight. Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Teruah (the Day of Shofar Sounding) and Yom HaZikaron (the Day of Remembrance), and it begins the Yamim Noraim — the Ten Days of Awe — that culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Theologically, Rosh Hashanah marks the anniversary of the creation of humanity — specifically, the sixth day of creation, when Adam and Eve were formed. The festival commemorates God's coronation as king of the universe, the moment when the divine is recognized as sovereign over all creation. It is also the day on which, according to Jewish tradition, God opens three books: the Book of Life for the righteous, the Book of Death for the wicked, and a third book for those in between, whose fate hangs in the balance until Yom Kippur. The central ritual of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar — a ram's horn — which is blown in a prescribed sequence of 100 notes over the course of the holiday services. The shofar's cry is meant to wake the soul from complacency, to call the worshipper to teshuvah (repentance and return), and to recall the binding of Isaac, when a ram was sacrificed in Isaac's place. The sound is primal, raw, and unmistakable — a single note from an ancient instrument that connects Jews across millennia.

How Rosh Hashanah Is Celebrated

Rosh Hashanah is observed for two days both inside and outside Israel — one of the few holidays where the diaspora observance is identical to the Israeli one. The days are marked by long synagogue services (the morning service can run 5-6 hours in Orthodox congregations), the shofar blowing, festive meals with family, and the practice of tashlich, in which worshippers go to a body of flowing water and symbolically cast off their sins by emptying their pockets or throwing bread crumbs into the current. Food is central to Rosh Hashanah, and every dish carries symbolic meaning. Apples dipped in honey are eaten with the wish for a sweet new year. Round challah bread — rather than the usual braided loaf — symbolizes the cycle of the year and the crown of God's kingship. Pomegranates are eaten with the wish that one's merits be as numerous as the fruit's seeds (traditionally numbered at 613, the total count of biblical commandments). Fish heads are served with the blessing "may we be a head and not a tail" — a play on the Hebrew rosh, meaning head. The greeting "L'shanah tovah tikateivu" — "may you be inscribed for a good year" — captures the festival's tone: serious, hopeful, and conscious of divine judgment. Unlike the secular New Year, which is celebrated with parties and fireworks, Rosh Hashanah is contemplative. The shofar's cry, the long liturgy with its recurring images of God as king and judge, and the emphasis on introspection all set the tone for the Days of Awe that follow. The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a time to seek forgiveness from people one has wronged — because Jewish tradition teaches that God cannot forgive sins against another person until that person has forgiven you. Why Does Rosh Hashanah Move Every Year? The Hebrew calendar that governs Rosh Hashanah is lunisolar, like the Chinese calendar. Lunar months are 29 or 30 days, giving a lunar year of 354 days. To keep the holidays aligned with the seasons — Passover must always fall in spring — the calendar adds a leap month (Adar II) seven times in every 19-year cycle. This is why Rosh Hashanah stays in the September-October window rather than drifting through the seasons. The Hebrew year that begins on Rosh Hashanah 2026 will be 5787, counting from the traditional dating of creation. The calendar's calculation of the new year is precise: it depends on the molad, the moment of the mean lunar conjunction, calculated to the minute. To prevent certain liturgical issues (like Yom Kippur falling on a Friday or Sunday, which would create back-to-back Sabbath fasts), the rabbis established rules that shift Rosh Hashanah by a day in those cases. This is why Rosh Hashanah dates can seem to jump around from year to year even though the underlying lunar calculation is continuous.

Calendar Calculation

1–2 Tishrei, Hebrew lunisolar calendar; begins at sundown on the new moon of Tishrei

Traveling for Rosh Hashanah? Where to Go

Rosh Hashanah is one of the heaviest travel periods of the Jewish year, especially for families with adult children who gather from across the country (or internationally) for the holiday meals. In Israel, the holiday falls during the early autumn and is associated with travel to the north — the Galilee and Golan Heights — for hiking and family gatherings. In the United States, Jewish families often travel to be with parents and grandparents, and many synagogues see their highest attendance of the year on Rosh Hashanah morning. Top destinations for this holiday: Jerusalem: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Tel Aviv: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. New York City: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Tzfat: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Uman (Ukraine): — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. If you're planning to travel for rosh hashanah, compare hotel rates and book early — accommodations in Jerusalem fill up weeks before the festival. [Search hotels for Rosh Hashanah travel →]

Did You Know? Rosh Hashanah Facts & Trivia

The shofar — a ram's horn blown on Rosh Hashanah — must come from a kosher animal, typically a ram. The horn is cleaned, soaked, and shaped, then blown in a prescribed sequence of 100 notes over the course of the holiday services. The sound is meant to awaken the soul to repentance. Rosh Hashanah is observed for two days both inside and outside Israel — one of the few holidays where the diaspora observance is identical to the Israeli one. This dates to ancient times, when the announcement of the new moon in Jerusalem took time to reach distant communities. The Hebrew year that begins on Rosh Hashanah 2026 will be 5787, counting from the traditional dating of creation. The Hebrew calendar's calculation of creation is based on rabbinic interpretations of biblical genealogies, not scientific evidence. Apples dipped in honey are the most iconic Rosh Hashanah food, eaten with the wish for a sweet new year. Other symbolic foods include pomegranates (whose numerous seeds represent the wish for many good deeds), fish heads (the wish to be "a head, not a tail"), and round challah bread (symbolizing the cycle of the year).