This year for the first time in history, the festive holiday of Sukkot was celebrated in the age of the coronavirus. This brought along with it the constrictions and opportunities of these strange times.
In keeping with its goal to create positive Jewish experiences for young college students on campus, KU Chabad is committed each year to bring the holiday of Sukkot and its celebrations to Jewish students of all stripes and wherever they may be, inviting them to step inside the sukkah, make a blessing over the lulav and etrog and feel the joy.
The coronavirus has made things trickier, but hardly impossible. KU Chabad hosted many engaging programs during the weeklong holiday, sharing the joy while strictly adhering to all safety protocols.
Among Chabad’s Sukkot innovations this year was the “Sukkah on Wheels,” constructed and placed on the back of a pickup truck. In addition, Chabad also built a special PediSukkah, an even tinier sukkah on wheels hitched to the back of a bike. These Sukkahs On-the-Go brought the holiday right to the student’s doorstep, with hundreds celebrating the holiday while remaining socially distanced from others.
The students loved when the sukkah showed up right at their front door. As KU junior Ryan Speckman from Dallas observed: “I appreciate Chabad for coming out to where I live off campus to make it convenient for me to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot. They make it real easy for me and my fellow students to be involved, especially at a time like this.”
In addition to the two Sukkahs on Wheels, KU Chabad was pleased to once again erect KU’s exciting new Landmark: The Jewhawk Sukkah! This sukkah is erected each year right in the heart of campus, in front of the Kansas Union on Jayhawk Boulevard.
“According to Jewish tradition, the holiday of Sukkot is the most joyous week of the year. With college students being pressed from all sides with all kinds of pressure, our goal was to create an oasis, a space to de-stress in the midst of the craziness of college life,” explained Chabad’s Co-Director Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel. “It was so special to see so many students drop by in between classes to grab a bite, say a blessing, do the lulav shake or just to reJEWvinate in the sukkah.”
Chabad also hosted various holiday events at its new outdoor open-air tent, with many students joining in all week long. These events included the most popular, “Subs in the Sukkah,” “Shabbat Under the Stars” and more. These Sukkot events attracted a diverse group of students who joined in on the holiday fun.
“It has been amazing to have a place where I can forget about what’s going on in the world around me and fully immerse myself with people celebrating Sukkot,” said Ethan Geller, a KU junior from Colorado.
As the month of holidays winds down, Jewish life at KU is only growing stronger. In Judaism we are taught that if we want to fulfill our purpose on this earth, it doesn’t take place in the safe and uplifting environment of the synagogue during the holiday season, rather it takes place in the mundane physical world through infusing each and every day with G-dliness and holiness.
“It was incredibly inspiring to see so many new faces join us during the holiday season. So many college kids from all walks of life, celebrating together the joys of our heritage,” said Rabbi Izzy Adelist, an assistant rabbi at KU Chabad. “It is so evident that the Jewish students appreciate the open and welcoming atmosphere of Chabad as it provides a vibrant and warm Jewish home away from home for all Jewish students.”
The Sukkot holiday celebrations at KU are supported by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and by many KU parents, alumni and friends who want to ensure that tomorrow Jewish leaders get to celebrate their Judaism today.
