Almost two years ago, I wrote a piece about my family’s sukkah (temporary hut) and our traditions that tied into the rise in antisemitism in the world. Yes, you read that correctly. I wrote it two years ago during Sukkot 2022 about a recent surge in antisemitic incidents. Here’s the frightening part. I can’t even remember why I wrote it. There’s been so much fear, horror, disappointment, and sadness over the last year, that I cannot fathom why I would have sat down back then to tie this beautiful holiday of Sukkot to the antisemitic incidents reaching my inbox and text messages.
As I write this, we are commemorating the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
Sukkot and Simchat Torah are rapidly approaching and with them, the Hebrew date of the attacks on the Shabbat of Simchat Torah.
When I visited Israel this past summer, I went down south to see Kibbutz Nir Oz. On October 6, the kibbutz had about 400 residents. Of those, 117 were either killed or taken hostage. The kibbutz is still in ruins, and almost none of the survivors have returned to their homes. As I was walking the grounds with a survivor—a member of the kibbutz—was struck by the remnants of destroyed sukkahs that still remain.
On October 5, 2023, the sukkahs of Kibbutz Nir Oz were filled with smiling, laughing, joyous families celebrating the holiday together.
I envisioned tables of delicious meals and glasses overflowing with wine. It was so quiet; I could practically hear the singing that must have filled the air that night. Now there is nothing. Except for the charred skeletons of sukkah frames—bearing the scars of the atrocities that took place one year ago.
Throughout Poland, in a handful of old small, Jewish shtetls (towns), there remain a few sukkahs that are affixed to apartment buildings. These are now on historical registry lists and cannot be torn down or removed. At one point, almost a century ago—these too, like the sukkahs of Kibbutz Nir Oz—were filled with families, song, Jewish delicacies and sweets, all in celebration of the holiday.
Now they are empty and desolate—mere relics of the thriving Jewish life that once flowed throughout the villages, towns, and cities of Eastern Europe.
As Sukkot is approaching, I am overwhelmed by emotion. I cannot stop thinking about both these communities—separated by nearly a century but woven together now in the fabric of destruction.
All that remains of these beautiful family traditions are the bones of the outdoor huts that once held so many precious times.
Yet, at the same time, there is a juxtaposition for me as I try to combat antisemitism and Jew hatred, I am also striving towards living a positive Jewish life that is rich in so many miraculous ways. And Sukkot is truly one of those magical times. Jews built sukkahs—ate and even lived in them—to commemorate the time our ancestors spent wandering the desert after escaping slavery in Egypt.
In essence, Sukkot, much like Passover, is a celebration of freedom.
Over the past year since October 7, we’ve had to navigate celebrating Shabbat, holidays, and simchas (joys) underneath the dark cloud that has engulfed the Jewish people. Just as Jews did during the Holocaust, today we must continue to engage in the beauty of being Jewish, while also desperately seeking a time when we’re not marred by tragedy.
In the next few days, sukkahs will go up again throughout Israel. A small few will still be erected in Eastern Europe. Here in the United States, the beauty of the holiday will be welcomed during the glorious fall season. Army bases in Israel will be filled with soldiers on the frontlines. And American college campuses, beehives for Jew hatred right now, will build massive sukkahs to host thousands of the finest young Jewish men and women.
Despite the dark and trying times, these sukkahs will be places to sing, dance, eat and rejoice – for the future of the Jewish people will be molded within those huts.
Certainly, tears will be shed this year for all that has been lost. However, new paths towards the future will also be built. Whether we are physically fighting in Erez Yisrael or verbally battling here in the United States (and in other parts of the diaspora), we are doing so to be able to proudly and unapologetically be Jewish.
During the week of Sukkot, Jews will (and should) remember the raw atrocities of the past year. The destroyed sukkahs of Kibbutz Nir and the small huts clinging onto century-old buildings in Poland.
And while the tears stick in our throats, we must sing again, dance again, and smile again. We must push through the sadness and create wonderful memories with our families, friends and Greater MetroWest community.
This Sukkot and Simchat Torah, we will live Jewishly and joyously.
Read more about Sukkot in “The Deeper Meaning of Sukkot” by Benjamin Mann Ed. D.