Find out different ways to build your sukkah ready for the festival later this month.
Though the Sukkot tradition of making a sukkah, a shelter made from natural materials, is the same for all of the Jewish community, depending on where you live your sukkah can look very different.
According to The Sukkah Project, your sukkah should follow these four guidelines to be considered kosher:
Of course you can gather the materials and build it yourself or you can buy a sukkah kit. Prices can range from £100 to £1,000 so there are plenty to choose from. Sukkahmart’s Super Sukkah is £789 and fits eight to 10 people with a Schach included, and a five year guarantee so you can bring it out year after year. For big family celebrations it can be bought in a 28-person size for £1,534!
Depending on how handy you are with your chosen materials you could opt to make a wooden lattice and reed sukkah as outlined on the website MyKosherHome or you could try a more tent-like structure with PVC pipe on the website Instructables.com. Its easy to build your own if you follow the instructions and regulations!
To make your sukkah beautiful and comfortable you can draw inspiration from several countries. Ashkenazi Jews were known to use food as inspiration for their decorations using hollowed gourds, or
some locals of Israel sweep the Christmas decoration sales after the holiday and use Christmas lights to decorate their sukkah. Whatever you choose you must also ensure your sukkah is temperate, in Canada this means bringing a heater into their sukkah (something we could take inspiration from in the UK!), or in Florida it’s common to bring your air conditioner into your sukkah!
Sukkot.com
Sukkahs have appeared in some strange places..
On the back of a bike
The Pedi Sukkah created by Levi Duchman in 2009 is an adult tricycle with a platform behind the seat which can support a sukkah large enough for one person.
On a boat
In 2018 a sukkah on Venice canal caught the attention of many passers- by. It was large enough for two (small) people complete with a branch canopy roof.
Out of a window
For many in apartments it is difficult to find the space to build a sukkah, which is why residents of New York and Jerusalem high-rises have taken to building their sukkahs on the small balconies outside their windows. Some may even look a little too precariously balanced!