Everyone knows the best part of a new year is buying a brand new planner. A fresh slate! An open canvas! A sprawling collection of pages, open with possibility!
Can you tell I’m a Capricorn who lives and dies by my planner?
Whether you feel the same enthusiasm I do when you think of buying a new planner or not, I do think you’ll join my excitement when you see the collection of specifically Jewish planners I’ve sourced for the upcoming Jewish new year, 5785. Never worry about double booking yourself on Purim ever again. Don’t stress about drawing a blank when your mom calls to ask if you know what day Yom Kippur falls on. These planners explicitly take into account the Jewish year — elegant or silly, expansive or utilitarian, all of these planners are very, very Jewish. Which one will you buy to start your new year on the right foot? It’s almost Rosh Hashanah — you deserve a little treat in anticipation of 5785!
For the Traditionalist ($15.80)
Created by the Jewish Museum in New York, this very much is your bubbe’s Jewish planner! It spans 16 months, includes U.S. and Jewish holidays, Shabbat candle-lighting times in 11 (!) major cities, Torah and prophetic readings and a list of Jewish holidays through the year 2038 (!!!). This planner bakes fresh challah every Shabbat and is totally comfortable leading your Passover seder!
For the Bullet Journal Aficionado ($33 – $58)
If you like to create your own planner (either through Bullet Journaling or another method), these blank and lined journals are for you. There are four Jewish symbols you can choose from for the cover, and the seller offers an option to select a custom engraving in the notebook, too.
For the Digital DIY Girlie ($5)
This is a simple PDF download. You can print all the pages or just the specific section you want to focus on. Along with regular calendar and planner pages, there’s a holiday planning page, a grocery list page and a page listing the Jewish holidays and their dates. There’s also many pages for secular life planning, like a monthly budget page and a dream board page.
For the Babes At The Well ($36)
This wall calendar from At The Well is incredibly beautiful and incredibly useful. This year’s offering highlights botanicals connected to each month of the Hebrew calendar, identified with the support of community, folk and ancestral herbalist Courtney Merage. The calendar’s goal is to make it easy to track ancient lunar rhythms and remind you that the ebbs and flows of life are natural and welcome.
For the Very Demure, Very Mindful ($29.99)
The product description for this planner reads: “It’s simple, it’s sleek, it’s portable, it’s perfect.” Literally what more could you want?
For the Minimalist ($45)
If the minimalist secular planners never have quite enough space for your busy Jewish life, but you don’t necessarily want a whole heavy book to schlep around in your tote every day, this sleek and simple option is your answer for having it all.
For the Radical Jew ($18)
The Radical Jewish Calendar is put together by a collective of artists celebrating “Jewish culture that is intersectional, queer, feminist, anti-racist, and that challenges and builds a Judaism and Jewishness beyond Zionism.”
For Busy Bitches ($10.99)
With a title like The Executive Jewish Calendar, neither of these two Amazon comments surprise me: “I buy one of these each year — a no-nonsense, no funny photos, very useable calendar.” “Just don’t expect anything with lovely Jewish Photos. This is not the one.” Heard!
For the Family Fridge ($40)
The Jewish Art Calendar is bright, beautiful and deserves to live in a place where many people can see it (obviously “family” has a very expansive meaning here — could include your wife and your small child, could include your three cats, could include your seven housemates — we’re not gatekeeping what family means!). It’s a wall calendar so it’s not going to be your go-to for creating detailed to-do lists for your whole week, but it’s a perfect way to keep track of Jewish holidays and family plans while gazing at Jewish art.
For the DIY King ($46 – $61)
A perfect companion for any planner, this sticker set comes complete with options for every single day of the year. You can choose your colors, finishes and if you’d like your stickers to be in Hebrew or English.
For the Interior Designer ($6)
Are you sitting around your apartment thinking, “I just need one more piece of statement art, and I’m hoping it can be a poster with the dates of every major Jewish holiday alongside a little illustration of said holiday?” Well do I have the solve for you! Print this digital download and stick it in a frame and bam, your wish is our command! One commenter also mentioned printing these smaller and sending them as postcards, which is also a fantastic idea that I fully recommend.
For the Hebrew Reader ($20)
This weekly Hebrew planner is simple and stylish and includes Jewish holidays, candle-lighting days and hours and weekly Torah portions. It comes with a matching bookmark, and you can ask the creator to put a personalized message in the planner and on the bookmark.
For the Farmers ($39)
I’m kind of obsessed with this Jewish Lunar/Solar Planner and its extensive guides for planting, harvesting and living your life in accordance with the seasons. It’s a weekly planner with monthly teachings, illustrations and journal prompts; it has a gorgeous gold cover and an enticing landscape orientation; and its not kidding around when it comes to the practical planning guides! Is it a planner? Is it a Jewish almanac? Yes to all of the above!
For the Ultra Planner ($9.99)
If one year of planning isn’t enough, what about three and a half years?? The product description boasts “3.5 Years of Jewish Life in Your Bag!” and OK, I’m sold! But seriously, the small size, minimalist design, pretty cover and comprehensive spreads in this planner make it the ideal choice for the ultra planners among us, of which I am definitely one.
