What does it mean to come together as One people beneath a giant Sukkah? As the Sukkah spreads over 125 of us from diverse backgrounds, we savor the delectable kosher, organic, locally-grown cuisine, gaze at the glorious fall foliage, seek out new friends, and treasure previous connections.
Sukkahfest, a Sukkot retreat held at the plush 400 acres of Isabella Freedman, attracts young adults of diverse backgrounds, single, married, observant, curious, GLBT and a wide range in between. This year, Sukkah Fest will take place October 12 to 16, 2011.
Basically Sukkahfest represents the ultimate expression of Oneness. There are stockbrokers from Fifth Avenue. There are people who grew up in a Satmar Hasidish family with 15 siblings in Brooklyn. There are people who identify as gay, lesbian , bisexual. There are academics with multiple degrees and who live in the suburbs. There are artists whose passion is puppetry, songwriting, and improvisational performance art. People come from NY, NJ, PA, MA, and CT and more. Under the sukkah, the labels, separations, and denominations fall away. We eat, sing, drum, dance, learn and make merry under one giant sukkah, in celebration with joy. The sukkah’s open walls remind us to be open to all who enter. And the sukkah’s open structure reminds us that there is one giant sky and beneath it, we are inter-connected.
The unifying force of Sukkahfest whispers into my ear: you are here, you have arrived. This is the place where different voices join together. Individuals become part of a group and co-create together. As divine sparks fly and the moon peeps through the sukkah, I pinch my leg under the table to see if it is real. It is. For a moment, I feel confident that all Jews can work together peacefully on fertile soil and that we can be joyous even while inhabiting flimsy structures.
Pack your bags. Come to Sukkahfest October 12-16. You’ll be thrilled you did.
To invest in dynamic Jewish programs, you can go online at www.isabellafreedman.org. Any amount is welcome. Thank you.
Aviva Perlo teaches on loss and grief at Temple University in Philadelphia and speaks and writes about life stories and coping with adversity. She has been sharing improvisational spoken word as the Radical Ruach Cheerleader over 15 years. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas.