High Holidays 2025 in New York: What You Need to Know

Beginning next week, Jewish communities all across New York will gather for the High Holidays, the holiest time on the Jewish calendar. These special days include Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Not long after, families will celebrate Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Even if you don’t personally observe, you’ll likely notice friends, neighbors, and co workers marking these days in meaningful ways.

How New Yorkers Will Celebrate Rosh Hashanah

This year, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Monday, September 22, 2025, and ends after nightfall on Wednesday, September 24. It’s the Jewish New Year, known as the “Head of the Year,” and in 2025 it marks the year 5786 on the Hebrew calendar.

Here in New York, synagogues will be filled with families coming together for prayer and the sounding of the shofar, a ram’s horn that echoes through the service. Holiday tables will be full of traditional foods too, think apples dipped in honey for a sweet year ahead, round challah bread, and even “new fruits” to celebrate fresh beginnings. Many families will also take part in Tashlich, a symbolic ceremony near rivers, lakes, or ponds, which is especially common in New York with so many beautiful waterways nearby. The common greeting you’ll hear is, “Have a Good and Sweet New Year.”

READ MORE: Celebrate National New York Day With These Five Country Songs

How New Yorkers Will Observe Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur follows just days later, beginning at sunset on Wednesday, October 1, and lasting until nightfall on Thursday, October 2. It’s the holiest day of the Jewish year, a time to reflect, ask for forgiveness, and start fresh.

In New York, synagogues will again be central, with prayers often lasting the entire day. Many Jewish New Yorkers will fast for 26 hours, abstaining from food and drink, while also stepping back from everyday comforts like wearing leather shoes or using lotions. It’s a day set apart, focused on spiritual renewal. If you know someone observing, a kind thing to say is, “Have an easy fast.”

The High Holidays’ Impact Across New York

New York is home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the world outside of Israel, so the High Holidays are widely felt here. Schools in many districts close, businesses may adjust hours, and neighborhoods come alive with traditions that connect families to their faith and heritage.

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For those observing, these holidays aren’t just dates on a calendar, they’re powerful moments of reflection, joy, and community. And for the rest of us, it’s a reminder of the diversity and richness that make New York such a unique place to live.