In celebration of Sukkot, a Jewish holiday commemorating the seasonal harvest, the Jewish Student Union (JSU) brought a mobile sukkah to Sidwell on Oct. 21. JSU partnered with the American University Chabad, an organization that assists Jewish students and promotes Jewish culture on different campuses. Esti Hecht, the Director of Education and Marketing at the American University Chabad, began building mobile sukkahs in 2012. This is the first time, however, that the organization has shared its construction with the Sidwell community. In the past, it has brought the sukkah to a mix of homes, universities and public spaces.
Other Chabad organizations around the country assemble mobile sukkahs to share the holiday with others unfamiliar with Jewish traditions. Hecht, who established the program at American University, noted that mobile sukkah structures are “something that Chabad around the world . . . have been arranging for many years.”
Although JSU has partnered with American University Chabad to coordinate barbecues, this was the first time the club celebrated the holiday with a real sukkah on Sidwell’s campus. When the mobile sukkah was delivered to Sidwell, the gathering featured the traditional lulav, a collection of garden branches that symbolize the spine, and the etrog, a lemon-shaped and colored fruit that represents the heart. Shaking the two together in different directions is a way to honor the harvest.
The location for the sukkah’s temporary placement was debated between the garage and the Post Office, but the administration decided to place it in the garage for the event. Upper School Writing Coordinator and JSU advisor Marina Ruben, expressed concerns regarding the busy and chaotic area. The mobile sukkah was on campus for a few hours before it was moved to its next destination.
“It was good to gather together for a lesser-known holiday and learn about it,” said Senior and JSU Club Head Asher Sedwick. Sedwick planned and coordinated the gathering with American University Chabad to sponsor the event. “It was great community building with a lot of adult and student turnout.” Junior and JSU Club co-head William Panner added that “The mobile sukkah was a really nice way to help everyone celebrate Sukkot.” He also noted that it brought together the JSU community and was an opportunity to “learn about this less celebrated holiday.”
While Sukkot is a Jewish holiday, it celebrates the harvest in a way that is done in many other cultures and religions. In the United States, Thanksgiving is a secular gathering that features some of the same themes as Sukkot, including appreciation for the growing season, the harvest and bountiful crops. Protestant churches often hold festivals celebrating the harvest in the fall.
According to Marina Ruben, Upper School Writing Coordinator and JSU advisor, Sukkot offers an opportunity for the Jewish community to come together and appreciate the world around us.
“I think of Sukkot as a time to appreciate the ways we can build all kinds of happiness, especially out of spaces where we previously wouldn’t have thought we could find it,” she said.
