Jews this week will be celebrating Sukkot, a seven-day holiday intended as a time of joy

Sukkot, a week-long Jewish holiday celebrating the traditional gathering of the harvest, starts at sundown Monday and continues through Monday, Oct. 13.

Sukkot is considered one of the most joyful festivals on the Jewish calendar — distinctive in that it explicitly encourages Jews to rejoice and discourages public mourning.

Descriptions of these holy days are available here from two of the major branches of U.S. Judaism:

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The Hasidic organization Chabad-Lubavitch

The Union of Reform Judaism

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This year, the first full day of Sukkot falls on Oct. 7 — the second anniversary of Hamas’ 2023 attack on southern Israel that left more than 1,200 people dead and 251 others taken hostage.

Believing that public mourning is prohibited by Jewish law during Sukkot, a coalition of Jewish leaders and activists in New York City is organizing what they call a Circle of Unity, hoping that thousands of people will gather on the Great Lawn in Central Park for “dancing, praying, and celebrating Jewish life and resilience together.”

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