The Sukkot holiday, running from October 12 to 20, when kids are out of school, the hotels are packed and the whole country seems like it's looking for some good times, represents a major opportunity for an institution like Beit Avi Chai to present lineups of activities to draw in the crowds and open minds.
Even before the holiday kicks off, Beit Avi Chai's annual model sukkah contest has been going full steam, with participants designing innovative booths like those inhabited by observant Jews during the holiday. Groups and individuals can enter the contest with their models, which will go on display to the public starting October 16. The prize winners are scheduled to be announced on October 18.
Even if your Bob the Builder is too young to enter the contest, he or she can still come down to Beit Avi Chai from October 16 to 18 for kid-targeted workshops and other fun stuff for the whole family. On offer free of charge is the center's recycling sukkah, biblical tent-style hospitality, games for kids, quizzes and more.
And for a modest entrance fee, Beit Avi Chai is putting on Story Hours encounters, musical instrument- and animated clip-making workshops and a tour of Nachlaot's warrens of sukkahs, courtesy of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. The Story Hour series features a different narrative each day and includes much more than just reading, like a discussion of our relationship with nature to go along with a presentation of The Giving Tree.
And while the High Holy Days and their acrostic meditation-filled prayer books may be only a memory to some by this point, Beit Avi Chai is extending the reach of the magic of Jewish liturgical poetry with the exhibit, Piyyut, Emotion and Thought, featuring the multimedia works of 27 artists exploring the themes of the holiday season.
For a complete guide to Beit Avi Chai's Sukkot 2011 programming, check out the Events tab on their GoJerusalem.com mini site, here.
