Public Holidays in Israel — 2026

Israel keeps a short official calendar in 2026: 9 public holidays in total, so each one carries real weight for planning.

4 of them land on the Friday + Saturday weekend, which leaves 5 genuine days off work.

The calendar clusters: September alone holds 4 of them, while 8 month(s) have none at all.

The longest dry spell runs 113 days, from Friday, May 22, 2026 to Saturday, September 12, 2026; that is the stretch worth spending annual leave on.

2 holiday(s) sit next to the weekend, and 3 single bridge day(s) could turn into a four-day break.

Israel sits in Western Asia, is run from Jerusalem, pays in New Israeli Sheqel, and has about 8.7M people planning around these same dates.

Public holidays
9
Days off work
5
Weekend
Friday + Saturday
Busiest month
September (4)
Longest gap
113 days
Capital
Jerusalem
Holiday calendar — Israel 2026
DateDayHolidayLocal name
Thu, Apr 2ThursdayPassover (Day 1)
Wed, Apr 8WednesdayPassover (Day 7)
Wed, Apr 22WednesdayYom HaAtzmaut
Fri, May 22FridayShavuot
Sat, Sep 12SaturdayRosh Hashana
Sun, Sep 13SundayRosh Hashana (Day 2)
Mon, Sep 21MondayYom Kippur
Sat, Sep 26SaturdaySukkot (Day 1)
Sat, Oct 3SaturdayShemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah

How many public holidays does Israel have in 2026?

9 — of which 5 fall on a working day and 4 fall on the Friday + Saturday weekend.

What is the first public holiday in Israel in 2026?

Passover (Day 1) on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The last one of the year is Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Which days are the weekend in Israel?

Friday + Saturday. Working-day counts on this site use that pattern, not a fixed Saturday–Sunday assumption.

When is the longest period without a public holiday in Israel in 2026?

Between Friday, May 22, 2026 and Saturday, September 12, 2026 — 113 days with nothing official in between.

Are these 2026 dates confirmed?

Yes, all 9 dates come from the official calendar (source: API Ninjas holidays API) and none are moon-sighting estimates.