Tu B’Av – August 8-9, 2025
A holiday for love, connection, and maybe a little healing.
Tu B’Av, the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av, began as a celebration of love and possibility. In the days of the Second Temple, unmarried women would dress in white and dance in the vineyards under the full moon, hoping to find their match, a beautiful tradition mentioned in the Talmud (a central Jewish text). It was a day of joy and community, connection and hope.
Today, Tu B’Av is often called the “Jewish Valentine’s Day,” and it’s seen a modern revival with music, dancing, and sweet moments between partners. But this year, the holiday might feel more complicated.
For many of us, love for our partners, families, and communities is sitting side by side with heartbreak, confusion, and concern about what’s happening in Israel, the surrounding region, and around the world. And still, Tu B’Av invites us to pause and connect. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the kind of love we want to build, and the kind of world we want to build it in.
Tu B’Av in a Complicated Time: How to Mark the Day
Here are a few ways to honor Tu B’Av this year, with meaning, heart, and maybe a little hope.
1. Celebrate Love with Intention
Take a moment to be present with your partner. Light candles. Cook something delicious together. Revisit a favorite memory or share what you love most about each other right now. Need a little inspiration? Download our Tu B’Av Date Night Conversation Guide.
In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Ancestors), we’re taught: “Love that depends on something will fade… but love that is not dependent on anything will never cease.” (5:16) What kind of love are you building?
2. Reflect on What It Means to Be Jewish Together
Whether you’re feeling proud, conflicted, heartbroken, connected, or all of the above, Tu B’Av is a chance to check in. What’s it been like to navigate this year as part of the Jewish community? What questions are you holding? What hopes do you carry?
3. Turn Love into Action
This year, consider channeling the spirit of the day into community service. After all, love in Jewish tradition isn’t just about romance; it’s about responsibility and care.
- Donate to an organization that you care about.
- Volunteer locally with a food bank or Jewish social service agency.
- Host a small gathering with friends to raise awareness for a cause you care about.
- Write notes of love and support to those in your community who might be feeling isolated right now.
4. Lean Into Light
Tu B’Av always falls on a full moon reminding us that even in a month associated with mourning (Av), there’s still light to be found. As Rabbi Alan Lew taught, Jewish time holds both/and. We mourn and we move forward. We grieve and we love.
So go outside. Look up. Dance in the metaphorical vineyard or your living room. Celebrate what’s good, even in a hard season.
No matter how you mark the day, we hope you find something that feels grounding and true. Whether through romance, ritual, or repair, Tu B’Av is a chance to reconnect to each other, to community, and to the values we carry through it all.
