What is Sukkot?

By Rowan Horowitz

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot lasted from the evening of September 29 until the evening of October 6. Sukkot is the third of the three “high holy days” holidays, and is the most whimsical of them all. On Sukkot, Jews from all over the world build little huts, called sukkahs, in their back or front yards with palm branches or sometimes bamboo on top, used for eating and sometimes sleeping in. Some Jews also choose to go to temple and shake a lulav, a cluster of palm, willow, and myrtle, and etrog, a citron, to commemorate the beginning of the harvest.

For Sukkot this year, Reed had its very own sukkah! You may have spotted it outside the GCC. The Reed Chabad House hosted quite a few events, such as “Sushi in the Sukkah” and a taco dinner on the first night of Sukkot. The JSU also held a “Sukkot under the Stars” event on the roof of the PAB.

Of course, people who aren’t Jewish are also allowed to attend events. Both the JSU and Chabad both explain nearly everything and would be happy to have you. There is dinner (free food) at the Chabad house every Friday evening at 7:00 pm and lunch every Saturday at around 1:00 pm. And look out for JSU events in the Events and Programs Newsletter! 

Even though Sukkot has passed, it comes around every year. And there are a few more holidays to celebrate before this year is out. There’s Hanukkah, which starts on the evening of December 7 and is eight days long, Purim, which starts on the evening of March 6 and is one day long, and Passover, which starts on the evening of April 5 and lasts eight days. And of course, Shabbat is every week.