The Global Day of Jewish learning is powered by Limmud North America. Launched in 2009 as an effort to connect Jews around the world in mutual appreciation of Jewish wisdom, the Global Day was inspired by the vision and leadership of Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz.

Tisha B’Av  is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon’s Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusalem.

Tisha B’Av is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar and it is thus believed to be a day which is destined for tragedy. Tisha B’Av falls in July or August in the Gregorian calendar.

The observance of the day includes five prohibitions, most notable of which is a 25-hour fast. The Book of Lamentations, which mourns the destruction of Jerusalem is read in the synagogue, followed by the recitation of kinnot, liturgical dirges that lament the loss of the Temples and Jerusalem. As the day has become associated with remembrance of other major calamities which have befallen the Jewish people, some kinnot also recall events such as the murder of the Ten Martyrs by the Romans, massacres in numerous medieval Jewish communities during the Crusades, and the Holocaust.

International Agunah Day was established by the International Coalition for Agunah Rights (ICAR) in 1990 to raise awareness to the difficulty of the Agunah. It is observed on the 13th of Adar which in the Jewish calendar is the Fast of Esther. An agunah literally means “anchored” or “chained” and describes when a Jewish woman is stuck in her religious marriage due to Jewish law that prevents a women from getting a divorce without her husbands permission. Not only does this happen when a man disagrees, but also if he is unable to grant her the divorce. Sometimes a man would leave on a journey and not return or went to battle never to come back.

A special document known as a get is needed for end a religious marriage and according to Jewish law, a man must grant his wife this get out of his own free will. Without the get, no new marriage will be recognized and any children from the new marriage will be seen as illegitimate.

Those who initiated this day believe that it is a violation of human rights to not grant a religious divorce. It also goes against modern views of equality, personal freedom, and happiness. Every day and especially on International Agunah Day, ICAR works to have this issue recognized by the public and advocates for change through media coverage, political lobbying, and public information campaigns.

Most people in the United States know about Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, but not so much about Mizrahi Jews. Mizrahi Jews come from North Africa and the Middle East and bring with them an entire history and culture unique to others. In order to educate the Jewish community about the unique culture and history of Mizrahi Jews, November was established as Mizrahi Heritage Month.

Cultures and customs among the Mizrahi Jews themselves are diverse because they came from two continents and different countries such as Yemen, Iraq, Morocco, and Iran. To learn more about these customs, Jewish schools and groups are celebrating Mizrahi Heritage Month with lectures and events that allow people to immerse themselves in the Mizrahi traditions.