22 July 2020
Shalom Aleichem,
The new moon was visible in Israel on the 21st of July as well as a number of locations in the US.
Here in Australia, we didn’t see the new moon until a day later on the 22nd of July.
| Location | Date | Observers |
| Israel | 21 July | 4 |
| Central East Australia | 22 July | 1 |
May YHWH be with you,
Ya’aqov Adam Meyer
22 July
Central East Australia
The new moon was visible by my wife at sunset. JM (1 observer)
21 July
Jerusalem, Israel
Dear Friends,
I am writing to you with an update regarding last night’s New Moon observation, which was on 21 July 2020 and was the end of the 29th day of the previous month.
We have just received a report from the Israeli New Moon Society that the following people spotted the moon using magnifying/light amplifying equipment and then saw the moon with their naked eye with great difficulty.
* Gadi Eidelheit – From Ofra at 8:12pm (binoculars 8:03pm)
* Rebecca Biderman – From Poriya Ilit at 8:22pm (binoculars 8:19pm)
* Simcha Borer – From Modiin Ilit at 8:20pm (binoculars 8:20pm)
* Binyamin Nissim – From Ofra at 20:20pm (binoculars 8:10pm)
On behalf of all of us who rely on these observations, we wish to thank everyone in Israel who looked for the new moon and sent in their observations in a timely manner. We are also extremely grateful to those of you who have stepped up and are supporting our efforts from afar, your support helps us be able to collect the observations and share these reports around the world.
We know many of you upon seeing this report will be wondering whether is it acceptable to use magnifying/light amplifying equipment (such as telescopes, binoculars, and cameras) to first spot the moon.
So I will just say this, some think it is ok to first spot the moon using magnifying/light amplifying equipment, as long as the sighting is later confirmed with the naked eye, while others contend that such equipment could create a confirmation bias, and therefore brings into question the later naked eye observation.
What do you think? Do you think it’s acceptable for an observer to first spot the moon using magnifying/light amplifying equipment and then look with their naked eye at the exact spot they now know the moon is and find the sliver with their naked eye? Do you think they would have been able to confidently say they saw the new moon, were it not for the certainty the magnifying/light amplifying equipment provided and does it even matter if their certainty comes from this equipment? We would love to hear your opinion to these questions, on our Facebook Page, Devorah’s Date Tree!
If reliable first-hand New Moon and Aviv Reports from Israel are of value to you, please consider supporting our efforts. We could really use your support in restoring the Biblical Calendar.
Whether you decide to begin the new month last night, 21 July 2020, which was the end of the 29th day of the previous month, or to wait until this evening 22 July 2020, we want to wish each and every one of you, and the world at large, a Chodesh Tov.
Please make it a great month for the sake of all of us!
Devorah Gordon