Are You Living in a "Booth?" Memories of an Assimilated Jew

The Ain Prat- Fountainhead group's latest Succot presentation:



When I was growing up, we didn't know much about Succot, even though I studied in Oakland Jewish Center, Bayside, NY, Hebrew School three days a week.  Sometimes we were called in to decorate the shul's succah, but I didn't go to shul on Succot.  I went to school.  I don't even remembering asking to take off for those days. 

I have some memories of going to shul on a Simchat Torah at night once and getting a "jelly apple."  It was probably the only time I had ever eaten one.  My parents were rather strict about what candies we ate.  That resulted in gorging on anything sweet whenever getting the opportunity, a problem I'm still trying to overcome.

There weren't many succot during my childhood, and only when I started becoming religious and ate in frum homes on Succot did I eat in one.  My husband's family didn't have one at all, since they lived in an aprtment. 

During our first Succot in Israel and being married, we didn't have a succah.  We were in the Maon Betar, Old City and brought our food to the one the Bnai Akiva house had put up.

The following year we lived in our very own apartment in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, and a good friend to this very day helped my husband buy and assemble our very first succah on the special succah merpeset, balcony.  We had lots of guests and not enough chairs, but that's another story...

Chag Sameach