Israel's public holiday calendar in 2026 is closely connected to the Hebrew calendar and includes Passover, Independence Day, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. The official government calendar distinguishes full non-working festival days from holiday eves, intermediate festival days, commemorative dates and choice days. Religious-community-specific holiday entitlements also require separate treatment rather than being combined into one undifferentiated national list.
On this pageTable of Content
Also Explore: Public Holiday in Italy
Next Public Holiday in Israel
No public holidays found.
Public Holidays in Israel 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2026 | Thursday | Passover – First Day | Officially Scheduled |
| April 8, 2026 | Wednesday | Passover – Seventh Day | Officially Scheduled |
| April 22, 2026 | Wednesday | Independence Day | Officially Scheduled |
| May 22, 2026 | Friday | Shavuot | Officially Scheduled |
| September 12, 2026 | Saturday | Rosh Hashanah – First Day | Officially Scheduled |
| September 13, 2026 | Sunday | Rosh Hashanah – Second Day | Officially Scheduled |
| September 21, 2026 | Monday | Yom Kippur | Officially Scheduled |
| September 26, 2026 | Saturday | Sukkot – First Day | Officially Scheduled |
| October 3, 2026 | Saturday | Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah | Officially Scheduled |
How Public Holidays Work in Israel
Israel's holiday system requires more classification than a simple list of religious observances. The Israel Civil Service Commission's 2026 calendar distinguishes days on which employees do not work from holiday eves, intermediate festival days, commemorative dates and other special working arrangements.
The main VisaBoards schedule therefore contains the principal full holiday days in the Jewish/general framework rather than every Jewish observance appearing on a calendar.
Passover Holidays in Israel in 2026
Passover, or Pesach, begins with a full festival holiday on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The seventh day of Passover is another full holiday and falls on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
The days between those two festival dates are commonly known as Chol HaMoed, or the intermediate days of Passover. They can involve shortened or special working arrangements, but they should not be classified in the same way as the first and seventh festival days in the main nationwide holiday database.
Israel Independence Day in 2026
Israel Independence Day, or Yom HaAtzmaut, falls on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The official Civil Service Commission calendar identifies the date as a day on which employees do not work.
Independence Day differs from most of the holidays in the 2026 schedule because it is a modern national civic holiday rather than one of the traditional Jewish pilgrimage or High Holy Day festivals.
Shavuot in Israel in 2026
Shavuot falls on Friday, May 22, 2026. In Israel, Shavuot is observed as a one-day festival holiday.
The festival begins on the preceding evening according to the Jewish calendar, but the database records the civil-calendar holiday date itself rather than adding the holiday eve as a separate full public holiday.
Rosh Hashanah in Israel in 2026
Rosh Hashanah is observed over two full holiday days in Israel. In 2026, the first day falls on Saturday, September 12, followed by the second day on Sunday, September 13.
Both dates are treated as non-working festival days in the official 2026 government calendar and therefore appear as separate database entries.
Yom Kippur in Israel in 2026
Yom Kippur falls on Monday, September 21, 2026. It is one of the principal Jewish holiday days recognized in Israel's national holiday framework.
The observance begins the previous evening according to the Jewish calendar, but the holiday eve is not added as a second full public-holiday date in the VisaBoards schedule.
Sukkot in Israel in 2026
The first day of Sukkot falls on Saturday, September 26, 2026. It is a full festival holiday.
The days following the first day of Sukkot include the intermediate period of Chol HaMoed. Those intermediate days may have distinctive working arrangements but are not equivalent to the full Sukkot festival day and are therefore excluded from the main public-holiday dataset.
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah in 2026
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah fall on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in Israel. In the Israeli calendar, the two observances coincide on the same civil date rather than creating two separate nationwide holiday dates.
The date is treated as a full festival holiday and appears as a single database row.
Why Are Purim and Hanukkah Not in the Main Public Holiday Table?
Purim and Hanukkah are important Jewish festivals, but not every religious observance is a full statutory non-working holiday in Israel. The official Civil Service Commission calendar distinguishes these observances from the principal festival days on which employees do not work.
For that reason, Purim and Hanukkah are not added to the main nationwide public-holiday database merely because they appear on religious or cultural calendars.
Are Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day Public Holidays?
Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day are major national commemorative dates, but they are not classified in the same way as the full non-working festival days in the main 2026 holiday schedule.
Israel's official calendar includes different working arrangements and commemorative observances for such dates. They should therefore remain separate from the VisaBoards public-holiday table.
What Are Holiday Eves in Israel?
Jewish holidays begin at sunset on the preceding civil date. Israeli employment and civil-service calendars may consequently identify a holiday eve with shortened working hours or other special arrangements.
A holiday eve is not automatically an additional full public holiday. The VisaBoards database therefore records the principal holiday dates rather than creating extra entries for each preceding evening.
What Is Chol HaMoed?
Chol HaMoed refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot between the principal festival days. These dates can have special cultural, religious and workplace significance, but they are not classified identically to the full festival holidays.
For database clarity, the 2026 nationwide table includes the full Passover and Sukkot festival days rather than treating every intermediate day as another public holiday.
Religious Holiday Entitlements in Israel
Israel's employment framework also requires attention to the employee's religious community. Jewish holidays form the main calendar used for the general Jewish framework, while Muslim, Christian and Druze employees can have holiday arrangements associated with their own religious calendars under applicable employment rules.
Those religious-community-specific holidays should not be combined indiscriminately with the Jewish holiday schedule and presented as if every listed date were a universal additional day off for every employee in Israel.
Why Some Israel Holiday Lists Are Longer Than Others
Online calendars often include a much broader range of observances than a statutory public-holiday database. They may list holiday eves, fast days, Purim, Hanukkah, Jerusalem Day, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day, Sigd and all of the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot.
Those dates can be culturally or religiously important without having the same employment status as the nine principal holiday dates used in this nationwide 2026 dataset. This difference explains why general calendar websites may show substantially more entries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many principal public holiday dates are listed for Israel in 2026?
The verified VisaBoards dataset contains nine principal holiday dates in Israel's general Jewish holiday framework for 2026. These are two Passover festival days, Independence Day, Shavuot, two Rosh Hashanah days, Yom Kippur, the first day of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah.
What is the next public holiday in Israel?
The next public holiday changes during the year. The live VisaBoards section near the top of this page displays the next upcoming holiday using the current holiday database.
What is Israel's country code?
Israel's ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code is IL.
When is Passover in Israel in 2026?
The first full day of Passover is April 2, 2026, and the seventh day is April 8, 2026. The intermediate Passover days between them are not entered as additional full nationwide public holidays in the main database.
When is Israel Independence Day in 2026?
Israel Independence Day falls on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
When is Rosh Hashanah in Israel in 2026?
Rosh Hashanah falls on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13, 2026. Both days are included separately in the holiday database.
When is Yom Kippur in Israel in 2026?
Yom Kippur falls on Monday, September 21, 2026.
Is Purim a nationwide public holiday in Israel?
Purim is an important Jewish festival but is not treated as one of the principal full non-working holiday dates represented in this nationwide database.
Are Chol HaMoed days public holidays?
Chol HaMoed days have special religious and workplace significance, but they are not classified in the same way as the full first and final festival days of Passover and Sukkot. They are therefore excluded from the main VisaBoards public-holiday table.
Do Muslim, Christian and Druze employees have different religious holidays?
Yes. Israel's employment arrangements recognize religious-community differences. Muslim, Christian and Druze employees can have holiday entitlements tied to their respective religious calendars, so those dates should be presented separately rather than added indiscriminately to the general Jewish holiday schedule.
Official Sources for Public Holidays in Israel
Join the conversation
Have thoughts on this topic? Share them with others.
Ask questions, share experience, and learn from the Visaboards Community.