Teaching Calendar
Bring Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish history, culture, and traditions into your classroom throughout the year. JIMENA’s Teaching Calendar highlights Jewish holidays, historical milestones, commemorations, and cultural observances, offering educators meaningful opportunities to explore the diversity of Jewish experiences. Use these dates to inspire lessons, classroom discussions, and activities that deepen students’ understanding of Jewish heritage and identity.
Rosh Hashanah (September or October)
A curated guide that blends ritual traditions, historical context, and cultural recipes from Sephardic and Mizrahi communities for Rosh Hashanah. Use it to enrich celebrations and classroom lessons alike.
Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15)
Explore Jewish life in medieval Spain, the expulsion of 1492, and the Sephardic communities that carried Spanish language and culture around the world.
Day of Remembrance for Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries and Iran (November 30th)
Mark the day that remembers the more than 850,000 Jews who left or were forced out of Arab countries and Iran, and teach the history of their displacement.
Hanukkah (December)
Discover how Jewish communities around the world celebrate the holidays, and the traditions Sephardic and Mizrahi families bring to them.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27)
Teach the Holocaust beyond Europe, including the discriminatory laws, labor camps, and persecution Jews faced in wartime North Africa.
Purim (February or March)
The Purim story takes place in ancient Persia. Connect the holiday to more than 2,500 years of Jewish life in Iran.
Women’s History Month (March)
Meet Doña Gracia Nasi, the sixteenth century businesswoman who used her influence to rescue Jews fleeing the Inquisition.
Passover and Mimouna (March or April)
Celebrate Mimouna, the joyful North African tradition that ends Passover with open homes, sweets, and neighbors gathering together.
Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah (April or May)
Attend a JIMENA Professional Development session on the WWII in North Africa and the Middle East.
Jewish American Heritage Month (May)
Explore the contributions and histories of four key Sephardic communities in America: Persian Jews in Los Angeles, Hispanic Jews in Miami, Syrian Jews in Brooklyn, and Bukharian Jews in Queens.