Jewish Traditions & Holidays

Jewish Traditions & Holidays

Article: Katie Pieper ’24
Photo: Maglara/Getty Images


The Jewish Organization of Students [JOS] serves as a place for all students to learn and honor Jewish traditions and holidays. JOS provides a safe place for Jewish community members to practice their religion as well as for other members of the community to appreciate Jewish culture and traditions.

JOS honors many major Jewish holidays throughout the school year, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hannukah, and Passover. JOS honors these traditions by serving apples and honey at Rosh Hashanah, providing transportation to services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, supporting fasting for Yom Kippur, and hosting a Seder for Passover.

This past winter, JOS honored Hannukah by hosting a dinner for the community with latkes, dreidel, and the lighting of the Menorah. In addition to celebrating traditional Jewish holidays, Suffield has also created some Jewish traditions of our own. When asked about these traditions, the senior leader of JOS, Mia Rubenstein ’23, said, “throughout the year, we do Mensh of the week, which honors a member of our community who has done something selfless or extraordinarily generous to help others.” JOS is always looking for new members and welcomes any Tiger to come and celebrate while learning about Jewish culture.

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