Celebrating Sukkot on campus

Sukkot is a festival celebrated globally by Jewish people. This year it begins on 25 September and lasts for one week, ending on 2 October. 

The festival serves as a reminder of the Exodus - a time when Moses led his people out of slavery in Egypt. It is also the harvest festival, when thanks is given for a good harvest. 

How are we marking Sukkot on campus? 

Rabbi Fishel Cohen will have a Sukkah for students on Monday 28 September in University Square and on Tuesday 29 September in Chancellor’s Court. 

How is Sukkot usually celebrated? 

One of the main traditions of Sukkot is building a ‘sukkah’; a temporary hut which has a roof made of branches or leaves. During the festival Jewish families eat and spend time in the Sukkah. 

This is to remind Jewish people of the temporary homes made by Moses and his people during their forty years of wandering in the desert. 

Another important tradition is the ‘Four species’, which involves holding a citrus fruit called an ‘etrog’, a Lulav, palm branch, sticks of myrtle and willow. 

During the festival these are held and waved in six directions in a special ceremony performed in the synagogue or at home. This tradition symbolises the presence of God in all directions and bringing people together.