Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Succah by the Sea 

This week Year 8 students visited Succah by the Sea and Our Big Kitchen, through the organisation Kids Giving Back, for a day of Jewish learning and volunteering. Next week Year 4 will be visiting Sculpture by the Sea and Shalom’s Succah by the Sea.

In preparation for Sukkot and for the excursion, Year 4 students were involved in a design thinking process last term, to learn about the rules and requirements of a sukkah and to then create their own model sukkot out of recyclable materials. As part of this process, students thought about what value (such as hospitality, environmentalism etc.) they wanted their sukkah’s design to represent. We were fortunate to have Year 4 parent and architect Nick Seeman, share stories and photographs of temporary structures from his travels through Nepal and PNG to provide additional inspiration for our students.

If you have not yet made it to Succah by the Sea at Marks Park in Bondi, it is on during Sculpture by the Sea until 10 November 2019.

Succah by the Sea, an installation at Sculpture by the Sea Bondi 2019 is an exciting collaboration with Shalom. Succah by the Sea reimagines a 3000 year old Jewish ritual and structure through a 21st century lens. For over 3000 years, Jews around the world have left the comforts of their homes to eat and sleep in a temporary structure, during a week-long festival called Sukkot. The structure, called a sukkah, has a roof made from leaves or sticks, and impermanent walls. The philosophical ideas of the festival are ideas that modern Australian society are currently discussing – environmentalism, displacement, home and community. www.succahbythesea.com.au/

Below is a sample of couple of the Year 4 sukkot.

Leah Joshua: I designed my sukkah so it was 100% sustainable, because I am passionate about the environment. I believe that we should try to make Jewish rituals, like making a sukkah, sustainable and environmentally friendly.   

Isaac Shammay: I worked with Gil and Eli to design and create our sukkah. We included plants, a Torah scroll and a lulav and etrog. We added beds, table and a bowl of fruit, to make our design a very hospitable and welcoming place for everyone who comes into it.