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Sukkahs from page 17

project. Finally, she let her chil-
dren decorate — markers and
glitter glue work well — the rest .
of the door hanger.
"And don't forget the back;' she
says, "because when they're
hanging from the sukkah, you'll
see both sides."
Last year, Ketai took her proj-
ect to Fleischman Residence in
West Bloomfield. This year, she's
bringing foam hangers and art
supplies to JARC, where she is a
board member. The final works
of art will hang from sukkahs at
the JARC homes and likely will
last a long time, Ketai says.
"Just be sure to let the hanger
sit a bit when you're done deco-
rating:' she says. "You can get a
least a few years out of it!'

Fab Fabric

Friends know her as an amazing
cook and a gardener with a
magic touch. Her back yard is
like a wild paradise, with vibrant
flowers and a tree swing, fruits
and vegetables growing here and
there that guests are encouraged
to freely pick.
So it's no surprise that
Susanna Klein of Oak Park is
busy creating a little home-
sweet-home inside her sukkah.
Instead of plain walls, she deco-
rates with bright fabrics.
But rest assured, it's simple,
she says.

A few weeks before the holi-
day begins, Susanna and her
children, Ruthie, 7; Moishy, 4;
and Elli, 2, head out to garage
sales and thrift shops in search
of pretty fabrics. There's no
theme, no specific coordina-
tion, just "any pattern that
catches their fancy"
They also find some plain,
solid pieces, then take them
home and dye them. Klein lets
her children pick the dye colors,
and they tend to go for the exot-
ic, she says. Recent color choices
have included terracotta and
burgundy.
Not that everyone has opted
for the same color. Usually, it's
big sister Ruthie who has the
strongest opinions about
which dyes should be used. If
her younger brother disagrees,
she tells him, "But I should get
to pick because you get to hang
the sukkah lights with Abba!"
(OK, so that would have to be
done anyway. When you're real-
ly young this kind of logic
makes sense).
When all the fabrics have
been dyed and/or selected,
they are hung from the sukkah
walls. These works of art actu-
ally serve two purposes, Klein
says. "They help keep out the
wind, and it's a lot prettier
than looking at the sukkah
frame!' ri

Right: Moishy, 4, Elli, 2, Susanna and Ruthie, 7, turn the Klein

sukkah walls into works of art.

Below: Sherry Ketai of Franklin shows her son, Adam, and JARC
resident Tobi Alexander, JARC client self-portraits that have hung

in the Ketai sukkah.

Sukkot At-A-Glance

Elizabeth Applebaum
Contributing Editor

w hat We
Observe:Sukkot,
which has many
names in the Tanach including
Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of the
Ingathering, the Feast and Feast
of the Lord.

When The Holiday Occurs: The
first day of Sukkot is the 15th of
Tishrei. On the secular calendar,
Suk kot begins this year the
evening of Monday, Oct. 17.

Why We Celebrate: Sukkot
recalls the sukkot, or booths,

18

where the Israelites lived after
the Exodus. Leviticus 23:39-43
tells how God commanded the
Jews to live in the sukkot as well
as to take "the fruit of goodly
trees, branches of palm trees and
boughs of thick trees and willows
of the brook" to use to "rejoice
before the Lord."

How To Celebrate: The sukkah
is our home for seven days —
and nights, too, for those who
actually want to sleep there.
On Sukkot, we use the lulav
and etrog, also known as the
arba'ah minim, the four species.
The lulav is a date-palm frond to
which are tied branches from the

willow and myrtle trees. The
Israelites, wandering in the
desert, used these to make the
first sukkot. The etrog, which
looks something like a fat lemon,
is the "fruit of goodly trees" men-
tioned in Leviticus.
Holding the lulav and etrog
together, families stand in the
sukkah and, according to
Ashkenazic custom, gently shake
first to the east, then the south,
the west, the north and finally up
and down. (This also is done
during the Hallel prayer at syna-
gogue or temple services.)
In the days of the Holy Temple,
Sukkot was a pilgrimage holiday,
and Jewish families from every-

October 13'• 2005

