By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated
Jerusalem accommodation fills 6–12 months ahead for the High Holidays. Book now to secure your preferred hotel before rates surge and rooms disappear.
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Experience the Jewish New Year with a local guide — the Western Wall Musaf service, Tashlich ceremonies and the unique atmosphere of Jerusalem during the High Holidays.
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From a guided Tashlich walk along the Yarkon to a private Rosh Hashanah dinner in a Jerusalem home — Viator lists authentic holiday experiences for international visitors.
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Israel is the only country in the world where the Jewish New Year stops everything — and for diaspora visitors, that is precisely the point. Rosh Hashanah in Israel is an experience that cannot be replicated abroad: the Western Wall plaza filled with tens of thousands for the Musaf service, the shofar sounding across Jerusalem’s Old City, Tashlich crowds gathering at the Yarkon River, and the sweet smell of round challah and honey cake in every bakery from Haifa to Eilat.
This guide covers the 2026 High Holiday season — what to expect, where to be, how to book, and how to experience Rosh Hashanah as a visitor, Jewish or not.
Rosh Hashanah 5787 begins at sunset on Wednesday, 10 September 2026 and concludes at nightfall on Friday, 12 September 2026. The holiday is two days.
The Ten Days of Awe (Aseret Yemei Teshuva) — the solemn period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — runs from 11 September through 21 September 2026.
Yom Kippur 5787 falls on Monday, 21 September 2026 (begins evening of 20 September).
Sukkot follows one week after Yom Kippur, beginning the evening of Saturday, 26 September 2026.
For 2027 and later years, always verify dates with Hebcal or the Chabad calendar — the Jewish calendar shifts by up to several weeks in the Gregorian calendar from year to year.
Rosh Hashanah is the most widely observed Jewish holiday globally — and for diaspora Jewish families, the High Holiday season is the single most common reason to time a visit to Israel. Experiencing the New Year in the Jewish homeland carries a different weight than observing it anywhere else:
The most powerful single experience of Rosh Hashanah in Israel is the Western Wall Musaf prayer on the morning of both Rosh Hashanah days. The Kotel plaza fills from pre-dawn onwards; by 9–10am on the first day, it holds tens of thousands of worshippers in separate men’s and women’s sections.
What happens: the Musaf service is the centrepiece of Rosh Hashanah morning worship. It includes the Hineni prayer (the prayer leader’s declaration of humility before leading the congregation), multiple shofar blasts in specific sequences (tekiah, shevarim, teruah), and the Mussaf Amidah. The full service lasts approximately 3–4 hours.
Access for visitors: the Western Wall plaza is open to all visitors. You do not need tickets or passes for general access to the plaza. The prayer area itself (closest to the Wall) is reserved for worshippers; respectful observers can watch from the elevated viewing platform or plaza perimeter. Dress requirements apply throughout: covered shoulders, covered knees, men require a head covering in the prayer area (kippot available free at the entrance).
Logistics: expect extremely heavy crowds from morning of the first day. Arrive by 07:30 if you want a position near the front of the plaza. The Mughrabi Gate entrance (near the Dung Gate, east Jerusalem) is the main tourist entry point; security lines are long on Rosh Hashanah — budget 30–45 minutes for entry. The kotel.org.il website lists the year’s Rosh Hashanah prayer schedule.
Note: the Western Wall Tunnels tours are suspended on Rosh Hashanah itself. They reopen the day after the holiday ends.
On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish communities across Israel perform Tashlich (תשליך) — gathering near flowing water to symbolically cast away their sins from the past year. The custom involves reciting specific prayers and casting bread crumbs (or simply making the symbolic gesture) into the water.
Tashlich is a public ceremony, performed outdoors in communities rather than in synagogues, and welcoming of respectful observers:
Tel Aviv — Yarkon River: the largest and most photographed Tashlich gathering in Israel. Thousands of Tel Avivians — observant and secular, many families with children — walk to the Yarkon River banks in Park HaYarkon for the ceremony. The Ben-Gurion Boulevard / Gordon Beach → Yarkon Park stretch fills throughout the afternoon. A striking visual experience combining the ancient ceremony with Tel Aviv’s modern beach-city character.
Jerusalem — City of David / Kidron Valley: the Pool of Siloam and the area near the Gihon Spring in the City of David is a traditional Tashlich site. Small groups also gather along the Kidron Valley. The Western Wall area itself is packed with Musaf worshippers throughout the morning.
Tiberias — Sea of Galilee: thousands gather along the Tiberias promenade and the Sea of Galilee shore for a Tashlich that combines the ceremony with the extraordinary backdrop of the Kinneret.
Haifa — Mediterranean shore: Haifa’s Bat Galim beach and the Carmel Coast see gathering communities in the afternoon.
The holiday’s food customs are among its most accessible aspects for any visitor. Israel’s bakeries and markets prepare for the New Year weeks in advance:
Honey and apples: the symbolic first taste of Rosh Hashanah — apple slices dipped in honey, representing wishes for a sweet new year. Available in any café, restaurant, or home hosting a holiday meal. Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem runs a dedicated honey market in the weeks before the holiday, with artisan honeys from across the country: wildflower, orange-blossom, eucalyptus, date honey (silan).
Round challah: the Rosh Hashanah challah is round rather than braided, symbolising the circular nature of the year. Mahane Yehuda and Carmel Market bakeries produce elaborate versions with raisins, honey glaze, and sesame. Buy one to eat on the street — no special access required.
Honey cake (lekach): a dense, fragrant spiced honey cake served throughout the holiday month. Every Israeli bakery and most cafés stock it from late August onwards. The version at Angel Bakery (national chain) is widely cited as a benchmark.
Pomegranate: pomegranate seeds represent wishes for a year full of good deeds (like the seeds are full in the fruit). Pomegranates appear in fruit stalls and juice bars across the country from September onwards — the fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice stands at Machane Yehuda are particularly good.
Restaurant special menus: many Jerusalem restaurants offer pre-set Rosh Hashanah dinner menus on the two evenings (Erev Rosh Hashanah). These fill quickly — book at least two to three weeks ahead if you want a restaurant Rosh Hashanah meal. Hotel Yom Tov packages typically include all meals; check whether dinner is included in your rate.
The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — known as the Ten Days of Awe (Aseret Yemei Teshuva) — is one of Jerusalem’s most atmospheric and overlooked travel windows.
Transport has resumed, businesses are open, and crowds have thinned from the holiday peak. Yet the city remains in a heightened state: synagogues hold additional prayers (Selichot penitential prayers), the Jewish Quarter of the Old City has a particular gravity, and the population is in a reflective, contemplative mood.
For visitors who find Rosh Hashanah itself overwhelming in its density, arriving just before or scheduling the main sightseeing in the Ten Days gives access to the full High Holiday atmosphere without the full logistical challenge of the holiday peak.
Ten days after Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — closes Israel down entirely. For the full Yom Kippur experience as a visitor, see the traveling in Israel during Jewish holidays guide.
Kol Nidre (the evening service opening Yom Kippur) is the most musically significant liturgical moment of the Jewish year. Jerusalem’s historic synagogues — the Great Synagogue, the Hurva, the Ades Syrian congregation — hold elaborate Kol Nidre services. Advance tickets are required for most synagogues for Kol Nidre. Contact individual synagogues from September onwards; demand from diaspora visitors and Israeli families is intense.
The High Holiday season is Jerusalem’s most competitive accommodation window. Hotels fill with diaspora Jewish visitors (primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Argentina, and South Africa) who plan the trip specifically around Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Combine this with Israeli domestic travel and you have the single most booked period of the Jerusalem hotel year.
Book 6–12 months ahead for Jerusalem. Six months is the absolute minimum for most mid-range hotels in the Jewish Quarter, City Centre, and German Colony. Luxury properties (King David, Mamilla, Dan Jerusalem) sell out faster.
Dead Sea hotels offer another popular base for the holiday period — many Israeli families spend the Sukkot holiday week (immediately after Yom Kippur) at a Dead Sea resort, and bookings cascade backwards into Rosh Hashanah.
Tel Aviv is more available than Jerusalem but still in demand. The White City and Neve Tzedek areas are within the most active Tashlich zones.
Yom Tov packages: many Jerusalem hotels offer full-board “Yom Tov” packages for the holiday period, covering all Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur meals (no cooking on the holiday; full kosher kitchen required). These packages sell out well before individual room-only rates, and they represent the most comfortable way to experience the holiday without logistical stress.
Transport: all public transport stops for the two days of Rosh Hashanah (buses, trains, light rail, and intercity services). The same rules apply as Shabbat but for two consecutive days. Plan arrivals and inter-city movements for the day before the holiday begins (before sunset on September 10) or wait until the holiday ends (nightfall on September 12). Walking is the dominant mode in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv during the holiday.
Restaurants and shops: Jewish-owned restaurants and shops close for both days of Rosh Hashanah. Arab-Israeli neighbourhoods (East Jerusalem Muslim Quarter, Jaffa, Nazareth, Akko Arab Quarter) continue operating. Hotel restaurants remain open throughout the holiday. In Tel Aviv, a small number of non-kosher/Arab-owned restaurants stay open.
The shofar on Shabbat: if the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, the traditional ruling (followed in Israel) suspends the shofar blowing on the first day and moves it to the second. In 2026, September 12 is a Friday — so the two days are Wednesday–Friday, with no Shabbat overlap, and the shofar is blown on both days.
Safety note: the High Holiday season involves large crowds at the Western Wall, in the Jewish Quarter, and in public spaces across the country. Follow standard Old City safety guidance and expect security checks at all major holy sites to be thorough and slow during peak holiday times.
Jerusalem is the default for the holiday experience — the Western Wall, the Jewish Quarter synagogues, Mahane Yehuda Market, and the concentrated atmosphere of Israel’s most religious city during its holiest season. Stay in Mamilla, the German Colony, or the City Centre for the best balance of access and walkability.
Tel Aviv works well if you want to combine the Tashlich experience with a lighter holiday atmosphere. Tel Aviv during the High Holidays is observant but not as closed down as Jerusalem. The seafront and Yarkon Park are accessible; many non-Jewish-owned restaurants and the beach clubs operate normally.
Dead Sea: some visitors base at a Dead Sea resort for the final days — the Ten Days of Awe through Sukkot — combining the holiday atmosphere with the therapeutic mineral water. Advance booking is essential; see the Dead Sea hotels guide for options.
For broader context on visiting Israel during Jewish holidays:
Rosh Hashanah 5787 begins at sunset on Wednesday, September 10, 2026, and concludes at nightfall on Friday, September 12. The two-day holiday is followed ten days later by Yom Kippur (September 21, 2026). In 2027, Rosh Hashanah falls around late September — check a Jewish calendar such as Hebcal (hebcal.com) or the Chabad calendar for exact current-year dates, as all Jewish holidays shift by several weeks from year to year in the Gregorian calendar.
Yes. The Western Wall plaza is open to all respectful visitors throughout the High Holiday season. The Musaf service on Rosh Hashanah morning draws tens of thousands of worshippers to the plaza, and respectful observers are welcome to watch from the plaza perimeter. Dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees for both men and women; head covering for men in the prayer area). The Kotel Tunnels tours are suspended on Rosh Hashanah itself but reopen the following day.
Tashlich (meaning 'cast away') is a traditional ceremony performed on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, in which Jews symbolically cast their sins into flowing water, sometimes throwing bread crumbs. In Tel Aviv, large crowds gather along the Yarkon River (Gordon Beach to the Yarkon Park area) for a community Tashlich that is photogenic and openly observed. In Jerusalem, the ceremony takes place at the Pool of Siloam in the City of David and near the Western Wall. In Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee shore fills with worshippers.
Six to twelve months ahead is prudent for Jerusalem hotels during the High Holidays — the city fills with diaspora Jewish visitors from the United States, UK, France, and Latin America who make the trip specifically for the holiday. Dead Sea resort hotels fill almost as fast, as many families combine the holiday with a Chol HaMoed leisure break. Tel Aviv accommodation is in high demand but slightly easier to secure than Jerusalem. Some hotels offer all-inclusive 'Yom Tov packages' covering all meals for the holiday period; these sell out months in advance.
Jerusalem during Rosh Hashanah is reflective and solemn rather than festive in the way Western holidays are. The city's religious and secular Jewish communities all mark the holiday: synagogues fill across every neighbourhood, the smell of honey cake and round challah comes from every bakery, and the streets quiet significantly as families gather for meals. The Western Wall plaza is at its most crowded and spiritually charged. Tel Aviv has a lighter Rosh Hashanah atmosphere — more cafes stay open, more people are on the beach — but the holiday is still visible city-wide.
Yes, significantly. Rosh Hashanah closes public transport in the same way as Shabbat but for two days consecutively (the holiday begins the evening before the first day and ends the second night). No buses, no trains, and reduced intercity sherut (shared taxi) service. Ben Gurion Airport remains open, though flights are reduced and check-in is heavier than usual the day before. Plan your inter-city movements for before the holiday begins or wait until after nightfall on the second day when services resume.
By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated