SUKKOT THE JEWISH HOLIDAY 2023, SEPT 29 – OCT 6
Israel and the world awoke to horror on a Saturday that was supposed to be a festive holiday after the end of Sukkot. The holiday celebrates the harvest and the time Jews lived in exile in the desert after being freed from slavery in Egypt. Saturday is the holiday Simchat Torah that marks the beginning of a new year-long cycle of reading through the Scriptures and teachings of the great rabbis of Israel. During the Simchat Torah holiday, people gather to dance with the scrolls marking the end of an annual reading cycle and the beginning of the next. But today the melody of the dances was discordant.
The attacks by the militant group Hamas came at 6:30am. On Saturday, the tone of synagogue services in New York City was somber.
More on Sukkot
On Sept 29th, Friday evening, Jews marked the beginning of Sukkot–also known as the Feast of Booths. It is a week-long Jewish holiday that traditionally revolves around building a temporary dwelling structure on your balcony, roof, backyard, or patio. If you’re building your own sukkah or just curious how it is done, here is an interesting video by Joshua Walters from Moishe House Rocks (courtesy of Recustom.com. (You don’t have to stay in the sukkah if it is raining!)
