The Jewish Student Union (JSU) organized an event celebrating the week-long holiday of Sukkot, which started on Sept. 29. The event was held on Oct. 4 during lunch in the Wellness Center, and the students came together to decorate the center like a traditional sukkah while eating snacks and learning about the holiday. “The event was very successful. We had a fun, casual time decorating the Wellness Center and a large show out of students,” sophomore and JSU officer Noah Thaler said.
Sukkot is one of the three Jewish Chagas, or Pilgrimage Festivals. It commemorates the biblical story of the Israelites living 40 years in the desert in temporary huts known as a sukkah. On Sukkot, Jewish families construct sukkahs outside their homes and decorate them with fruits and natural materials. Across the world, people take a moment to eat dinner with their families in their sukkah every night of the holiday. This year Sukkot falls on Sept. 29 and lasts till Oct. 6th. The Union decided to decorate parts of the Wellness Center similarly to what a sukkah would resemble.
Over 30 students came to the event, both Jewish and non-Jewish. “I’m not a part of JSU, nor am I Jewish, but I think it’s super important to celebrate these holidays. I think our school should normalize practicing all religions while taking into consideration the students’ different cultures,” Junior Stella Ahmady said.
“I think it’s important to recognize Sukkot because most people don’t realize that Jews have a variety of different important and deeply meaningful holidays. Most people only know of Hanukkah, which isn’t even an important religious holiday. It’s sad for Jewish students to watch these joyful and momentous days pass while no one does anything; meanwhile, holidays like Christmas, Halloween, and Easter are so highly celebrated in our community,” Thaler said. “Our goals for the event were to kick off the year for JSU, to give students a chance to learn, and to make Jewish students on campus feel seen and have their culture publicly represented.”
