Question 1

What is JewishWeb.com?

Accepted Answer

JewishWeb.com is a free, independent guide to Jewish life — covering holidays, customs, lifecycle events, kosher restaurants, synagogues, day schools, mikvaot, Judaica, and Jewish communities worldwide. Content is human-edited and serves Jews of every denomination as well as anyone curious about Judaism.

Question 2

When are the Jewish holidays in 2026 (5786/5787)?

Accepted Answer

Major dates include Purim (March 3, 2026), Passover (April 2–10, 2026), Shavuot (May 22–23, 2026), Rosh Hashanah (Sept 12–13, 2026), Yom Kippur (Sept 21, 2026), Sukkot (Sept 26 – Oct 2, 2026), and Chanukah (sunset December 4 through nightfall December 12, 2026). See the Jewish Calendar page for the full year and candle-lighting times.

Question 3

How do I find a kosher restaurant, synagogue, or mikveh near me?

Accepted Answer

Use the directory hubs: Kosher Restaurants, Synagogues & Shuls Directory, and Mikveh Directory. Each listing includes address, phone, hours, denomination/hechsher, and a link to the venue's website.

Question 4

What is a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah?

Accepted Answer

Bar Mitzvah ("son of the commandment") marks a Jewish boy reaching age 13; Bat Mitzvah marks a Jewish girl reaching age 12 (or 13 in many liberal communities). Both signify the age of personal obligation in mitzvot and are typically celebrated with a Torah aliyah and a festive seudat mitzvah.

Question 5

Does JewishWeb.com have free Bar/Bat Mitzvah planning tools?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the Bar & Bat Mitzvah Celebration Guide includes a 150+ item planning checklist, a photo shot list, a music/DJ playlist, and a kibudim (synagogue honors) tracker. All four tools are free, editable, printable, and save automatically in your browser.

Question 6

What does "kosher" mean?

Accepted Answer

Kosher (kashrut) refers to Jewish dietary laws derived from the Torah and rabbinic tradition. The basics include eating only certain animals, separating meat and dairy, using only properly-slaughtered (shechita) meat, and avoiding non-kosher fish and insects. See the Kashrut & Kosher Laws guide for details.

Question 7

Are JewishWeb.com listings free?

Accepted Answer

Yes — basic directory listings are free. Businesses, schools, and synagogues can claim and update their listings, and paid promotional placement is available on the Advertising page.

Question 8

How do I search JewishWeb.com?

Accepted Answer

Use the magnifying-glass icon in the top header or the Search link in the footer. The /search page covers every static page, guide, and live directory listing (name and city) across the site.

Question 9

Can I add or claim a listing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sign in via the Auth page and use the dashboard to suggest a new listing or claim an existing synagogue, restaurant, grocery, mikveh, school, or Judaica store. Edits are reviewed before publishing.

Question 10

Does JewishWeb.com use cookies?

Accepted Answer

Yes — strictly for analytics, security (reCAPTCHA), and remembering your cookie-consent choice. A banner appears on your first visit so you can Accept or Decline; your preference is stored locally in your browser.

Question 11

Can AI tools and LLMs use JewishWeb.com content?

Accepted Answer

Real-time AI grounding (AEO/RAG via ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, etc.) is permitted. Model training on our content is not. See /robots.txt and /llms.txt for the full per-crawler policy.

Chanuka 2026 · חנוכה

Count down to Chanuka (חנוכה)

Chanuka 2026 Guide

Judaica & Gift Buying Guide

Shop Chanuka

Recipes & Traditions

Bar & Bat Mitzvah Celebration Guide

Explore Jewish Life

Customs, Traditions & Rituals

Jewish Calendar

Jewish Communities

Jewish Day Schools

Jewish FAQ

Jewish History

Jewish Holidays

Jewish Jobs

Jewish Learning & Torah

Jewish Lifecycle Events

Jewish News & Media

Jewish Non-Profits

Jewish Online Resources

Jewish Travel

Judaica & Shops

Kosher Cookbooks

Kosher Recipes

Kosher Restaurants

Kosher Stores

Learn Hebrew

Mikveh Directory

Synagogues

JewishWeb Network