The Diversity & Inclusion Blog

Sukkot (Sukkah) is primarily a Jewish tradition as a harvest festival, it commemorates a historical event and it has a spiritual or metaphysical dimension: it is a reminder to us that as human beings, we are vulnerable to God/Nature.

Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkah is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration. Many build their own sukkah in which it is customary to eat meals. According to rabbinic tradition, these flimsy sukkot represent the huts in which the Israelites dwelt during their forty years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt. The festival of Sukkot is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals of the Jewish year.

Special Celebrations

Sushi in the Sukkah - September 27, 2018 at 5:30pm

 Shabbat in the Sukkah - September 28, 2018 at 6:00pm

Volleyball Courts, University Campus

All are welcome to the Sukkah September 23- October 2. It is located on University Campus on the Volleyball court (North Road). JewMass (UMass Medical Students) and UMass Chabad are providing baked goods as well as a Luluv and Esrog complete with do-it-yourself instructions on how to perform this unique mitzvah throughout the week. On September 27, Chabad will be hosting “Sushi in the Sukkah” event at 5:30 open for all.

In addition, JewMass, The Jewish Federation of Central Mass, and Moishe House would like to invite you to enjoy a Shabbat dinner in the Sukkah on September 28 at 6pm. Please RSVP here for the Shabbat meal.

 It is located on University Campus on the Volleyball court (North Road). JewMass UMass Medical Students and the Central Mass Chabad are providing hospitality and some fresh baked goods during the celebration.

UMass Amherst has great resources if you would like to learn more about the holiday and its history: The Festival of Sukkot