Building and decorating ideas that will
leave everyone with lots of pleasant Jewish memories-and
not too many sore muscles! The seven-day holiday
of Sukkot is Judaism's harvest festival. It's a mitzvah
to "dwell" (at least to eat, maximally to
sleep) in one's sukkah (booth) during the entire week,
barring inclement weather.
My family built its first sukkah when I was a
teenager. My parents rigged walls out of colorful,
batik-style cloth from K-Mart, and we hung the leafy roof
with fresh fruit. I ate all my meals in our sukkah,
including breakfast on some uncharacteristically frosty
Texas mornings.
Since then, I've enjoyed many diverse and wonderful
sukkot (plural), including a simple wilderness sukkah
made of fallen branches; a penthouse sukkah overlooking
the Mediterranean; and a romantic, candlelit sukkah on a
hillside deck. Looking back, our first sukkah was a
turning point in my family's Jewish life, a sign of
intensified interest and involvement in our Jewish roots.
Building that first sukkah is a hands-on, holistic Jewish
experience that creates magic and memories for the entire
family.
1. Simple Sukkah Setup | 2. The Roof | 3. Decorations | 4. Mobiles | 5. Put out the Welcome Mat | 6. Mystical guests
7. Go regional | 8. Go Israeli | 9. Indulge Your Childhood Christmas Tree Frustrations | 10. Light Up the Night-Safely
7.Go Regional
Consider adorning your sukkah with a theme that
reflects what's special about your geographical
location. For a southwestern ambience, use strings
of chili peppers, dried corn and squash, and a woven
rug. New Englanders might decorate with bright fall
foliage, strings of cranberries, pumpkins, and an
overflowing cornucopia on the table. Those in
tropical climates can go for native flowers, tropical
fruits, palm fronds, and sea shells.
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8.Go Israeli
Is your heart in the Middle East? Would you like
your sukkah to be a tiny piece of the Jewish
homeland? Decorate with the seven species of
produce for which Israel is famous: dates, almonds,
pomegranates, figs, olives, wheat, and barley. You
could also include the greenery that we put in the
lulav: palms, myrtles, and willows. Jaffa oranges or
citrons might also be included.
Cover the walls with posters of Israel, particularly
sacred sites. You can often get posters from Israeli
and Jewish organizations, Jewish book and gift
shops, and travel agents; you can also use calendar
pictures of Israel. Laminate for future use.
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9.Indulge Your Childhood Christmas Tree Frustrations
It's ironic, now that I am studying for rabbinic
ordination, to admit that as a child I mounted an
annual campaign for a Christmas tree! Fortunately,
my parents never gave in. But maybe my hunger to
decorate something green and impressive would
have been satisfied in a Jewish way if we had built an
annual sukkah. If we can provide our children with
plenty of fun, involving, and meaningful Jewish
experiences before the Christmas barrage sets in,
we'll be defining our religious identity by what we do,
not by what we don't get to do.
I found it amusing, while living in Israel, to note that
the sukkah market in our neighborhood featured
what were obviously Christmas decorations to adorn
the sukkot of devout Jews. And why not? Many are
quite suitable for sukkot -strings of golden beads,
real or artificial cranberries or popcorn, clusters of
artificial fruit and foliage, and, yes, those lovely
strings of tiny twinkling lights I always wanted as a
child. You can even buy Christmas decorations on
sale in January.
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10.Light Up the Night-Safely
While on the subject of tiny twinkling lights, it's well
to consider how your sukkah will be lit. There are many options, but keep in mind that a sukkah is a
flammable environment. The holiday and Shabbat
candles will add their glow, although some people
light these in the house. Electric light can come from
an outside house light (if your sukkah is close to the
house), or from a light bulb with a very long,
outdoor-safe extension cord. The latter can even be
plugged into a timer in the house if desired.Camp
lanterns or votive candles are other options, but only
with maximal care and supervision. Citronella candles, which repel bugs, are a good bet in mosquito-ridden southern climates.
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Julie Hilton Danan is the author of The Jewish Parents' Almanac (Jason Aronson) and spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Am in San Antonio, Texas. She is a graduate student in Rabbinic Literature at the University of Texas at Austin,and is studying for independent rabbinic ordination
through the Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal.
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