Sukkah Village Is Coming To Princeton In September

Princeton NJ

27 August, 2021

4:33 PM

Description

PRINCETON, NJ —For the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, Sukkah Village 2021 is being planned in Princeton, beginning Sept. 19 to 30. Architect Joshua Zinder presented details of the village to the Town Council during Monday's meeting. The project started back in 2018, with the late Rabbi Adam Feldman and Zinder planning a village, but it couldn't be completed then. In 2019, plans conflicted with the Jewish Center's 75th anniversary and in 2020 Feldman's death and the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the project back further. Zinder said they received a lot of sponsors for the project this year. A Sukkah is a hut-like temporary dwelling the Jewish people lived in. "The Holiday of Sukkot is a time to appreciate the shelter, our homes, and our bodies," Zinder said. In today's time, Sukkot brings to focus issues like homelessness, hunger, refugees, sustainability, and even affordable housing. "We are leveraging architecture to bring attention to these other issues," Zinder said. Princeton's Sukkah Village was inspired by New York's Sukkah City, which happened in 2010 at Washington Square Park. "For me, one of the things Sukkoth is about is sustainability and resilience," said Zinder. "They (New York) took these newly-designed structures which costs over $10,000 and after they put them out in the square, they threw them in the trash." One of the important features of Princeton's Sukkah Village is that it can be dismantled and put back together at any later date. The huts need to be mountable and no bigger than 10x10. Princeton is following guidelines considered Kosher by Jewish law to build the Sukkah Village, said Zinder. For example, while building the roof, one must keep in mind that it should protect people from the sun, yet allow them to see stars at night. The Sukkah Village will contain 12 structures and their primary location will be the corner of Ceder Lane and Nassau Street. Six Sukkahs will be located next to The Jewish Center and the other six will be located at: St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church The Arts Council of Princeton YWCA Princeton Palmer Square Nassau Presbyterian Church Trinity Church Each Sukkah will be partnered with a non-profit organization. Here are the local organizations: Home Front Send Hunger Packing Princeton Princeton Community Housing Jewish Federation of PMB Sustainable Princeton Arts Council of Princeton Jewish Family & Children's Services YWCA Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton United Way of Greater Mercer County Jewish Community Foundation Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) Princeton Senior Resource Center (PSRC) A student design competition was held among local high schools, Colleges, and Universities. Two winners will be selected to be built at Sukkah Village 2021, Zinder said. The team has received entries from NJIT, Princeton University, and Kean University. People can learn more about the village by visiting the website: sukkahvillage.com. Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email [email protected] Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.