By Michelle Cohen​
HAKOL Editor

 

Families around the Lehigh Valley gathered together to celebrate Sukkot at a variety of private and community-wide locations to share meals and companionship.

One such celebration took place at the Jewish Day School on Oct. 19. On a warm evening, students and their families returned to school for an evening filled with fun for all who attended. Tunes flowed out of a DJ’s speakers next to the buffet line, which featured kosher Chinese food supervised by the LVKC. As student volunteers helped attendees load their plates, children of all ages played on the playground, colored the blacktop with chalk and enjoyed vibrant conversations with friends.

The highlight of the evening, as it is for any Sukkot celebration, was the opportunity to sit inside the sukkah with family and friends. On each of the four tables set up inside the sukkah, a lulav and etrog sat next to a laminated paper with the blessings in Hebrew and English. The sukkah was adorned with coloring pages, paper chains, cutout fruits, shiny CDs and stickers created by JDS students.

“It’s always really nice” to go to this event, said parent Carah Tenzer, who has attended the annual event for the past several years. “The kids love getting together with their friends after school, and it was not a hard decision to make. Everyone wanted to go.”

 “It was really fun, and the food was great!” added Naomi Schachter, another parent.  In addition to the fun, though, Schachter pointed out her major observation of the night: “I saw people from all different backgrounds coming together and to me that’s what JDS is about. We’re a Jewish family with all different backgrounds coming together to celebrate our heritage, our culture and our people.”