See You in the Sukkah
26 September 2018 See You in the Sukkah
A new, temporary structure has made its way to campus. A sukkah, a dwelling or hut built to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, will belocated off the Quad, near Eaton Hall through Sunday, Sept. 30.
One of a series of Jewish holidays occurring in the fall, Sukkot is a celebration of the fall harvest and a commemoration of the 40 years the Jewish people spent wandering in the desert after their escape from slavery in Egypt.
Members of HWS Hillel built the sukkahon Sunday, Sept. 23, constructing the roof from bamboo and adding holes to view the stars and the sky to feel the connection to the natural environment. The sukkah was then decorated with symbols of the harvest and made to feel like home, although it is still temporary.
In our world today, the sukkah is supposed to make us think about our connection to the environment, says Director of the Abbe Center for Jewish Life and Hillel Adviser Julianne Miller. We feel our environment much more when we are in the Sukkah than when we are in nice, sturdy, heated buildings.
Miller says that many of the questions surrounding the holiday are topics that members of the HWS community care deeply about, including our connection to and dependence on our environment, how we create a temporary home for ourselves whether temporary means a week during Sukkot or four years while in college, the things in our life that are more permanent and reliable, and caring for those who do not have permanent homes to shelter them.
Members of the Jewish community are encouraged to live in the sukkah as much as possible, eating meals, studying and in some observant communities, sleeping. Additionally, an important component of the holiday is inviting guests into the temporary dwelling.
One of the main features of this holiday is welcoming guests, says Miller. We hope students, faculty and staff will join us for one of our many events. Sukkah events are free and open to all in the HWS community.
Monday, Sept. 24 at 4:30 p.m., Sustainability in the Sukkah; 5 p.m. Pizza in the Hut with Pizza Posto!
Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m., Breakfast in the Sukkah
Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m., Pasta Night in the Sukkah; 7 p.m., Pride in the Sukkah
Thursday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m., Sweets in the Sukkah
Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m., Dessert-a-palooza in the Sukkah during Quad-a-palooza
Sunday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m., Bagel Brunch in the Sukkah