The culmination of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. Final Parsha from Deuteronomy is read in synagogue. Everyone called to the Torah reading. Conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle.

Simchat Torah or Simḥath Torah (also Simkhes Toreh, Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת תורָה, lit., "Rejoicing with/of the Torah,") is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret ("Eighth Day of Assembly"), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei (mid-September to early October on the Gregorian calendar).

Wenceslaus I (Czech: Václav [ˈvaːtslaf] ( listen); c. 907 – September 28, 935), or Wenceslas I, was the duke (kníže) of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935, purportedly in a plot by his own brother, Boleslav the Cruel.

His martyrdom, and the popularity of several biographies, quickly gave rise to a cult, the Catholic term for a group devoted to someone as a holy person, and a reputation for heroic goodness, resulting in his being elevated to Sainthood, posthumously declared king, and seen as the patron saint of the Czech state. He is even the subject of a Saint Stephen's Day (celebrated on December 26 in the West) Carol, written in 1853 that remains popular to this day, Good King Wenceslas.

Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת – "the Eighth [day] of Assembly"; Ashkenazic pron. shmini-atseres) is a Jewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. In the Diaspora, an additional day is celebrated,^[1] the second day being separately referred to as Simchat Torah.^[2] In Israel, as well as in Reform Judaism, the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into one and the names are used interchangeably.

Shemini Atzeret is often referred to as the eighth day of the Festival of Sukkot, which occupies the seven preceding days (this term is slightly erroneous, however).

Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read,^[1] draws attention to banned and challenged books,^[2] and highlights persecuted individuals.^[3] The United States campaign "stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them"^[4] and the requirement to keep material publicly available so that people can develop their own conclusions and opinions. The international campaign notes individuals "persecuted because of the writings that they produce, circulate or read."^[3]

The campaign was founded in 1982 by prominent First Amendment and library activist Judith Krug.^[5] It is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, National Association of College Stores, and endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.