Sukkah of Ancestral Migrations

In 2022, the Edlavitch JCC in Washington, DC, asked me to design and build a sukkah for their iconic front steps that would express the values of refuge and family, and be informed by the city itself. Sukkot commemorates the journeys of our ancestors and the divine protection they had during their wandering. DC is a city of government records and museums. This "Sukkah of Ancestral Migrations," designed by me and built with my friend Patrick Edwards, features copies of archival materials (immigration and census records, birth, marriage, and death listings, old photos, etc.) attesting to the global journeys of the families of three individuals on each of the walls: a Jew of Ashkenazi descent (Hillel), a Jew by Choice (Patrick), and a Jew of color (Josh, a leader in the JCC's programs).

By stepping inside this sukkah, as if we were entering a glass museum display case at the Library of Congress or National Archives, we literally and metaphorically surround ourselves with history, recognizing the paths our ancestors took to allow us to be here today. We all come from somewhere, and as we sit in these temporary homes during Sukkot, we can reflect on the words of the Shehechiyanu blessing, thanking God who "granted us life, sustained us, and brought us to this moment."

Later, families were invited to contribute their own stories to the collective work of art. At a community workshop I led, families brought copies of ancestors' photos to turn into decorations that were hung in the sukkah. Together, the Sukkah was a realization of Ushpizin, the traditional recognition of our forebears in our festive Sukkot meals.