Privacy Policy
Last updated: April 12, 2026
Hebcal (https://www.hebcal.com) is a free Jewish calendar website operated by a sole proprietor. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it.
We wrote this policy to be as clear and honest as possible. If you have questions, please contact us at webmaster@hebcal.com.
What We Collect
Information You Provide
Email address. If you sign up for weekly Shabbat times emails or annual Yahrzeit/Anniversary reminders, we collect your email address for that purpose. We will never sell or share your email address with anyone. We will never use your email address to send you unsolicited offers.
Location. We may ask for your ZIP code, city name, or geographic location to provide you with accurate Shabbat candle-lighting times and other location-dependent information.
Yahrzeit and Anniversary data. If you use our Yahrzeit + Anniversary calendar feature, you may enter names and dates associated with loved ones (such as dates of death, birthdays, or anniversaries on the Hebrew calendar). Providing real names is entirely optional – if you leave the name field blank, the system will generate placeholder labels like “Person 1,” “Person 2,” etc. We treat this information as sensitive personal data and protect it accordingly.
Information Collected Automatically
Server logs. When you visit Hebcal, our servers automatically record standard technical information such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and the date and time of your visit. We retain server log files for approximately 2 weeks and use them solely for maintaining site health and diagnosing technical issues.
Cookies. Hebcal uses cookies to store your preferences (such as your ZIP code, time zone, and whether you prefer Ashkenazi Hebrew transliterations). These cookies are used solely to improve your experience on the site. You can clear your Hebcal cookie settings at any time by visiting this link, or opt out of cookies permanently via this link. Cookies automatically expire 399 days after they are set.
Website analytics. We use a self-hosted analytics tool (Matomo) to understand aggregate usage patterns such as which pages are most popular. We utilize the following privacy protections:
- No analytics cookies. Matomo is configured to operate without setting any tracking cookies on your device.
- IP address anonymization. IP addresses are masked before being stored; the full IP address is never written to our analytics database. For example, an IP address like 198.51.100.123 would be stored as 198.51.100.0. This process ensures that the data stored by Matomo cannot be easily traced back to an individual.
- Self-hosted. All analytics data is stored on our own private server and is never shared with any third party.
We retain this aggregate analytics data indefinitely to help us understand long-term usage trends.
Email open tracking. When we send you Shabbat times or Yahrzeit reminder emails, we may record whether you opened the email. This information is retained for up to 2 years and is only used to monitor the health of our email delivery systems.
Hebcal Alexa Skill. Hebcal offers an Alexa skill for looking up information such as candle-lighting and Havdalah times. When you use the skill, Amazon sends your location information (but not your IP address or any personally identifiable information) to our server along with an opaque, Amazon-generated identifier. We retain these skill invocation logs for approximately 60 days for operational purposes. We have no way to connect the Amazon identifier back to you as an individual.
Hebcal for Apple Watch. The Hebcal app for Apple Watch, available in the Apple App Store, does not collect any personal information. It does not connect to the internet and has no way of knowing anything about its users. All calendar calculations are performed entirely on your device.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for these purposes:
- Providing our services – delivering Shabbat times emails, Yahrzeit reminders, and personalized calendar results.
- Maintaining the site – monitoring server health, diagnosing problems, and understanding general usage patterns.
- Improving the service – analyzing aggregate usage trends to make Hebcal more useful.
We do not use your information for:
- Advertising targeting or profiling
- Selling or renting to third parties
- Building marketing lists
Third-Party Services
Hebcal displays a minimal amount of advertising to help cover the costs of internet hosting. These ads may be served by third-party ad networks, which may use their own cookies or tracking technologies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of those ad providers.
We do not share your email address, location data, Yahrzeit data, or other personal information you have directly provided to us with any advertising networks.
Links to Other Websites. Hebcal may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their policies.
Data Retention
| Data type | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Server logs (IP addresses, etc.) | ~2 weeks |
| Cookie preferences | 399 days from when they are set |
| Email subscription records (active) | Indefinitely, to continue providing service. We also retain the IP address recorded at the time you originally signed up. |
| Email subscription records (inactive) | 2 years after unsubscribing or bouncing, then purged. We retain your email address and a status flag during this period so we do not accidentally re-subscribe you. You may request earlier deletion by contacting us. |
| Yahrzeit/Anniversary names and dates | Until you delete them or request deletion. The IP address recorded at the time of creation is also stored with the record. |
| Yahrzeit reminder send history | 2 years, to avoid sending duplicate reminders. |
| Email open tracking | 2 years. These records include the IP address and approximate location at the time the email was opened. |
| Email bounce records | 2 years, for email deliverability management. |
| Alexa skill invocation logs | ~60 days |
| Aggregate website analytics (Matomo) | Indefinitely |
Your Rights
Regardless of where you live, we believe you should have control over your personal information. You have the right to:
- Access your data – request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct your data – ask us to fix any information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Delete your data – request that we erase your personal data.
- Unsubscribe – stop receiving emails at any time. To unsubscribe from weekly Shabbat times, email shabbat-unsubscribe@hebcal.com. Yahrzeit reminders include a customized unsubscribe link in each email.
If you are in the European Union (GDPR) or California (CCPA), you may have additional rights including the right to restrict processing, object to processing, or request data portability. We do not sell your personal information.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at webmaster@hebcal.com. We will respond within 30 days.
Legal Disclosures. We do not voluntarily share your personal data with law enforcement or government agencies. However, if we receive a valid legal request such as a court order or subpoena, we are required to comply and will provide whatever records we have. In practice, the data we retain is limited (as described in the Data Retention section above), so there is very little we would be able to produce.
Children’s Privacy. Hebcal does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it.
Data Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal data, including access controls and encryption where appropriate. That said, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data:
- Email: webmaster@hebcal.com
- Support: https://hebcal.userecho.com/
- Phone: +1-425-2-HEBCAL (425-243-2225)
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. For significant changes, we may also notify you by email.