Beginning with Hebcal for Unix 3.9, Asara B’Tevet is allowed to fall on a Friday. This is a significant bugfix. According to http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshchodesh/tevet/fast.htm If a public fast occurs on Erev Shabbat, we fast the entire day till the conclusion of the fast, even though it means entering Shabbat while fasting. Neither “Avinu Malkeinu” nor “Tachanun”… Read more »
Posts Categorized: News
Hebcal.com site redesign
After 8 years, we’ve finally redesigned the Hebcal.com website to be a little more modern-looking and easier to navigate with a menu on every page. We’re also using the WordPress content management system to manage our help pages and other content. We hope you like the new look. If you see anything broken, let us… Read more »
Hebcal for Unix source code moved to Mercurial
Developers: the hebcal for Unix source code is now stored in a Mercurial repository, hosted by sourceforget.net. You can browse the hebcal hg repository. (Previously the source code had been stored in a CVS repository, also on sf.net.)
Time zone fixed for Arizona iCalendar users
We’ve fixed a timezone issue for Arizona that was affecting Apple iCal, Google Calendar, and other iCalendar users. Hebcal.com now uses the “America/Phoenix” timezone instead of “US/Mountain” for all candle-lighting and havdalah times in the state of Arizona. Our apologies if you were getting times that were fine on the hebcal.com website but one hour… Read more »
New Hebrew-only calendar option
By popular demand, we are pleased to announce a Hebrew-only calendar. Previously users had to see both Hebrew and transliterations, but we’ve added more flexibility in how the results get displayed. On the Hebcal Custom Calendar page, there is a new Event titles user interface section which offers the “Hebrew only” option. There are actually… Read more »
Yahoo! Calendar and Windows Live Calendar support
Hebcal now offers the ability to export to both Yahoo! Calendar and Windows Live Calendar.
Vayishlach Haftarah correction
The haftarah for Parashat Vayishlach is now listed as Obadiah 1:1 – 1:21. It was previously listed as Hosea 11:7 – 12:12 for Ashkenazim and Obadiah 1:1 – 1:21 for Sephardim. According to scholar Aryeh Cohen, Further research indicates that while Ovadyah has been normalized as the reading for Ashkenazi communities, this wasn’t the case… Read more »
iMenorah iPhone Chanukah app
iMenorah is a cute app for the iPhone that displays a menorah to light. Download it from the iTunes App Store. Disclaimer: I’m plugging it because I know the guy who built the app, and because 10% of the proceeds from the $1.99 sale price go to the San Francisco JCC.
Hebcal now integrates with Google Calendar
We added a new feature to the Hebcal Interactive Jewish Calendar: integration with Google Calendar. Look for an image like this in the “Export calendar” section of your customized calendar results:
Yom Ha’Atzma’ut / Yom HaZikaron 2007
The Israeli government changed the dates of Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut a couple of years ago. They added a new rule to prevent Yom HaZikaron from beginning on motzei Shabbat. In 2007, these holidays begin at sundown on 22 and 23 April, respectively (the 5th and 6th of Iyyar). See Memorial Day and Independence… Read more »