Dates
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2024
Begins at sundown on October 23, 2024 and ends at nightfall on October 25, 2024.
Starts
October 23, 2024
at sundown
Ends
October 25, 2024
at nightfall
Length
2 days
work restricted
Candles, Jerusalem
17:18
on October 23, 2024
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2024 ended on October 25, 2024. The dates, times and customs below are kept as a record.
Next: Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2026, sundown October 2, 2026 →Israel or the diaspora?
This is the sharpest Israel-diaspora split of the year. In Israel the two are a single day. In the diaspora they are two separate days, with Simchat Torah on the second.
Shemini Atzeret follows straight after Sukkot, and Simchat Torah marks the completion and immediate restart of the annual Torah reading cycle, celebrated with dancing and hakafot.
Candle lighting for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2024
Times for the evening it begins, October 23, 2024. Calculated from sunset: 18 minutes before in most communities, 20 in Israel, 40 in Jerusalem and 30 in Haifa.
Your city not here? All 106 cities.
On the ground
What happens in Israel
One day, and the dancing spills into the streets outside synagogues in the evening.
Every year on file
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah in other years
The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, so the Gregorian date moves by up to a month from year to year but stays in the same season.
The rest of 2024
Other Jewish holidays in 2024
8 of the 14 other dates on the 2024 calendar, in the order they fall. Each has its own page for 2024.
January 25, 2024
Tu BiShvat 2024
The new year of the trees. Tree planting in Israel and eating the fruits of the land.
March 24, 2024
Purim 2024
Celebrates the rescue of the Jews of Persia as told in the Book of Esther. Megillah readings, costumes, mishloach manot and festive meals.
April 23, 2024
Passover (Pesach) 2024
The festival of freedom, marking the Exodus from Egypt. Seder nights, matzah, and no chametz for eight days (seven in Israel).
May 6, 2024
Yom HaShoah 2024
Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Israel a two-minute siren brings the country to a standstill.
May 13, 2024
Yom HaZikaron 2024
Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Independence Day.
May 14, 2024
Yom HaAtzmaut 2024
Israel's Independence Day, marking the declaration of the state in 1948.
May 26, 2024
Lag BaOmer 2024
The 33rd day of the Omer count. Bonfires, weddings and celebrations at Mount Meron.
June 12, 2024
Shavuot 2024
The festival of receiving the Torah at Sinai. All-night learning and dairy foods. Two days in the diaspora, one in Israel.
Frequently asked questions
When is Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2024?+
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2024 begins at sundown on October 23, 2024 and ends at nightfall on October 25, 2024. Jewish days start in the evening, so the first full day is October 24, 2024.
How long is Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah?+
2 days. This is the sharpest Israel-diaspora split of the year. In Israel the two are a single day. In the diaspora they are two separate days, with Simchat Torah on the second.
Is Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah different in Israel?+
This is the sharpest Israel-diaspora split of the year. In Israel the two are a single day. In the diaspora they are two separate days, with Simchat Torah on the second.
What happens in Israel on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah?+
One day, and the dancing spills into the streets outside synagogues in the evening.