1 O   T I P S   By Judy Lash Balint, Jerusalem: You know it's erev Sukkot in Yerushalayim because: 1. You can't get on a bus without being poked in the rear a dozen times with someone's stray lulav. 2. The sweet smell of etrogim in Machane Yehuda (Yehuda Market) is overpowering. 3. An enterprising bookstore is offering "Machzor rentals" for tourists who inadvertently left their holiday prayerbooks at home. 4. You've never seen such gaudy sukkah decorations in your life---unless you've been to Woolworth's on Xmas eve. Kiosks manned by bearded Haredim in Meah Shearim are selling gold, green and red tinsel..... 5. Huge piles of schach (palm fronds for the roof of the sukkah) cover major city squares, and citizens are invited to take as much as they need for free. 6. The hotels are finally buzzing with activity after a slow summer. 7. Sukkot of every size and description can be seen on balconies, rooftops and in courtyards. Every kosher restaurant in town has one and boasts bigger and better holiday specials to entice customers. 8. Since the entire week of Sukkot is a national holiday you'll have a tough time deciding which festival/event to take part in. There's a two day Carlebach lovefest at Mevo Modi'in; the Acco Fringe Theater festival; the Zikhron Yaakov wine fest; a Humor and Laughter Festival in BeerSheva; an Israeli Cowboy Festival at Neve Yaar and a Big Bang Reggae extravaganza at the Caesarea Amphitheater to name just a few. 9. Touring the country is another favorite Sukkot activity and every political group is promoting trips to "See For Yourself". Hevron is a perennial favorite for Chol Hamoed (intermediate festival days) with many musicians performing to entertain the faithful on the second intermediate day. 10. Not to be left out are those Christian friends of Israel--the International Christian Embassy has 5,000 members from 100 nations here for their Feast of Tabernacles celebration. They'll be taking part, dressed in national costume, in the Jerusalem March, another annual Sukkot event. 11. You can see scores of refugees from the young, frum singles scene who've migrated to Jerusalem from the Upper West Side for Sukkot. Discreet meetings of earnest, well scrubbed, modestly dressed twenty-somethings can be observed in all the major hotel lobbies. May we all experience the true joy of Sukkot and merit to see the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash.