Iverna Gardens

This week we will be talking about Sukkot. Sukkot is a Jewish festival that marks the gathering of the autumn harvest. It recalls God’s protection of the Israelites during their wanderings in the wilderness when they lived in temporary dwellings over a long period described as forty years. Many families build a little hut called a sukkah in their gardens or on their balconies to remind them of God’s protection during those historic wanderings. The roof of the sukkah is made of branches and leaves with sufficient spaces for the stars to be visible, a symbol of God’s continuing protection. The sukkah is decorated with leaves and fruit, and in it meals are taken during the seven day festival. We will build our own sukkah in the classroom, and children will decorate it with paper-chains and drawings. The children will also act out the journey undertaken by the Jews from Egypt to Israel.