Sukkat in the Park

Sukkat in the Park

By Robert Press

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is seven days that asks us to think about the idea of “home” and what it means to have a roof over our heads. This year from Friday September 29th through Friday October 6th Jewish people ate meals in the Sukkah located under the open sun. The sukkah is made up of at least three walls and a roof made up of unprocessed natural vegetation often bamboo or palm branches.  

On Wednesday October 5th Rabbi Saabia Pewzner of the Bronx Jewish Center built a Sukkah in Bronx Park East at the Lydig Avenue entrance where about one hundred people of the Jewish faith and others came to honor the holiday of Sukkat. They ate inside the Sukkah as Jewish music played and people danced outside. 

A view inside the Sukkah, as you can see the bamboo roof as people are eating under the open sky.

A tradition of Sukkat is the Lulov (made up of palm, myrtle, and willow branches), and the Etrog (citron fruit) that are waved while saying a prayer. Holding the Lulov and Etrog is Steven Glosser President of the PPNA, as Rabbi Pewzner holds the television microphone as the local cable channel was also filming the event.

Standing outside the Sukkah are (L – R) Steven Glosser, Rabbi Pewzner, Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr., and Joe McManus representing congressman Ritchie Torres.