Shelter Rock Jewish Center prepared to celebrate Sukkot, the ancient Jewish harvest festival, with services and a community meal in one of the largest sukkahs on Long Island, beginning Monday evening, Oct. 6.
The sukkah, a temporary hut made of plywood walls and a lattice roof, decorated with greenery and artwork from congregants, seats up to 200 people and will serve as the center of the Roslyn synagogue’s celebrations.
Observed for eight days, Sukkot commemorates both the fall harvest and the temporary shelters the Israelites lived in after leaving Egypt, Rabbi Claudio Kupchik said.
“The sukkah has two main meanings,” Kupchik said. “One is Thanksgiving, thanking God for the harvest and our blessings. The other is the remembrance of freedom from slavery in Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land. The little, frail sukkah also reminds us of the fragility of our lives and of those who live in more precarious conditions.”
Shelter Rock’s celebration includes a festive dinner, classes, Hebrew school activities and a “sukkah hop,” in which congregants visit sukkahs built at members’ homes. Kupchik said the entire congregation, including Sisterhood members, children and volunteers, joins together to decorate and prepare the sukkah.
“It’s a very special time when the community comes together,” Kupchik said. “At a moment when intolerance and antisemitism are unfortunately present in the world, coming together in this way is especially important for us.”
Founded in 1958, Shelter Rock Jewish Center has observed Conservative-Egalitarian practices at its current site since 1964. This fall marks Kupchik’s second year leading the congregation.
Sukkot will be observed through Oct. 13 in Jewish communities across Long Island and worldwide.
