Sukkot a time of joy and feasting for Jews
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

JESSICA SMITH Sherry and Stanley Keller, of Monroe, talk with Rabbi Eliezer Zaklikovsky outside the sukkah.

MONROE - Local Jews left the comfort of their homes this week to take their meals within the walls of the largest sukkah in the township.

Sukkot, a holiday that started last Friday at sundown and ends Sunday at sundown, is a joyous time for Jewish people, when they show their faith by taking shelter within a sukkah.

"The sukkah represents a temporary dwelling to remind us that shelter comes from God," said Rabbi Eliezer Zaklikovsky, who led Monday's Sukkot party at the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe, Gravel Hill Road.

It is also representative of the Biblical period of the Jews wandering in the desert for 40 years. Sukkot is a reminder that God provided for them, said Zaklikovsky.

"Sukkot is a time when you show your faith to God," said Lissa Sebban, a volunteer at the party. "Even if it's freezing, you go outside for hours and eat, even if you're uncomfortable, and you show your faith to everyone else. It's one of my favorite holidays."

The sukkah at the Chabad center was built by six volunteers with pine wood and a roof made out of evergreen and bamboo. It took two days to erect, the rabbi said.

Inside the sukkah, there is food to be eaten in celebration of the holiday, as well as various photographs depicting the center's activities.