The Great
Sukkah-Rama Returns

I

Congregation Beth Shalom
hosts a family event
in time for Sukkot.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

PHOTOS BY BILL HANSEN

o Aaron Kahn and Ethan
Slabosky, Cantor Samuel
Greenbaum's discourse
on the lulav and the et-
rog at the Great Sukkah-
Rama was more than
informative; it was down-
right invigorating.
So when the cantor finished his
work and asked if there were any
questions or requests, the boys
couldn't keep quiet.
"Shake it," Aaron, 6, encouraged.
"Go crazy with it."
"Yeah, go crazy until you fall
down," Ethan, 5, continued.
The pair, both excited for the
morning's activities planned for
Congregation Beth Shalom's kinder-
gartners through second-graders,
raced from the speech to be first in
line to make sukkah decorations.
Aaron and Ethan were two of
more than 100 congregational nurs-
ery and day-school students who en-
joyed two hours' worth of activities
at the affair. Jewish Experiences
For Families, a program of the
Agency for Jewish Education, spon-
sored and coordinated the activities
for the congregation.
"At JEFF, our emphasis is to do
community programming as well
as synagogue-based programming,"
J EFF program coordinator Julia
Greenblatt said. Similar programs
have been held at the Jewish Com-
munity Center and in other con-
gregations in the past.
The participants kicked off the
morning with Cantor Greenbaum's
discussion, which was followed by
craft activities. Children moved
from station to station, making
sukkah decorations, mini-sukkah
models and creating treat baskets
for Yad Ezra kosher food bank
clients.
Hilary Greenberg didn't know
who sponsored the Great Sukkah-
Rama and quite frankly didn't care.
The second-grader was far too busy
constructing a sukkah bee, a deco-
ration made from pine cones, wig-
gly eyeballs and seed pods.
Her mother, Ellen Greenberg,
said Hilary had looked forward to
the event for more than a week. In
the past, the 7-year-old has spent
time in a sukkah at the home of a
family friend.
"In fact, she is trying to get her
father to build one," Mrs. Greenberg
said. "She wants one so badly."
"And when we have one," Hilary
said, turning to show her mother
her latest creation, still dripping
with glue, "we can hang this up in
it." El

Top left: Ellen and Hilary Greenberg show off Hilary's sukkah bee.

Top right: Brett Mertz peers through his "stained-glass" art.

Above: Zachary, Joey and Lindsey Hornfield work with their mother,
Stephanie, on their model sukkah projects.

Right: Lindsey Hornfield adds a little glue to her creation.