Nes Ammim offers the opportunity for volunteers to experience most of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious feasts. They are celebrated in Nes Ammim with Jewish guests, in Jewish families, in larger communities or in certain cities like Acre. Here are some examples:

Hanukka
Every year in winter the Nes Ammim volunteers celebrate the Hanukka festival, the Jewish „Festival of Lights“. It takes place around the time of the Christian Christmas (whereas its origin is not connected to Christmas) and is celebrated for a whole week. On each of the eight days a new candle is lit. The volunteers learn songs and eat “Sufganiot” (a kind of doughnuts).

Pesach
One of the most important feasts in Judaism is Pesach (Passover), which is celebrated in the spring and commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Pesach is celebrated for a full week. The prelude of this festival, the Seder evening, is ruled by a certain liturgy, the Pesach Haggada, and most Jewish families celebrate it together with guests. The volunteers from Nes Ammim also have the opportunity to celebrate it, either at private homes or as a member of the staff in the guesthouse in Nes Ammim, where many Jewish families spend their Pesach holidays. A special experience is the Pesach cleaning some days before the feast and the lack of bread, rice, pasta and beer for more than eight days.

Ramadan
A very important period in Islam is the Ramadan. During the whole month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic calendar), Muslims are fasting. The fast is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke and have sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset. Iftar, the meal at the end of the fasting day, is a happy occasion and volunteers of Nes Ammim go to Acre to enjoy the celebrations. The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid al Fitr, the Sugar Feast or Feast of Breaking the Fast.