Celebrating Sukkot in Jerusalem 100 Years Ago

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

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Celebrating Sukkot in Jerusalem 100 Years Ago  - Re-posting a previous feature Posted: 20 Sep 2013 Bukharan family in their sukka (circa 1900). Note the man on the right holding the citron and palm branch. (Library of Congress collection) Compare this sukka to one photographed in Samarkand 40 years earlier. As soon as the Yom Kippur fast day is over many Jews start preparations for the Sukkot (Tabernacles) holiday. It usually involves building a sukka, a temporary structure -- sometimes just a hut -- with a thatched roof, in which Jews eat and often sleep during the seven day holiday.  Ashkenazi family (circa 1900) in the sukka beneath the chandelier and picures The photographers of the American Colony Photographic Department took photos of sukkot structures over a 40 year period, preserving pictures of Bukharan, Yemenite and Ashkenazi sukkot.  Several photographs include the Jewish celebrants holding four species of plants traditionally held during prayers on the Sukkot holiday -- a citron fruit and willow, myrtle and palm branches. Even though the sukka is a temporary structure, some families moved their furniture and finery into the sukka, as is evident in some of the pictures. Portrait of the Bukhari family in the Sukka (1900) Bukhari Jews, shown in pictures from around 1900, were part of an ancient community from what is today the Central Asian country Uzbekistan. They started moving to the Holy Land in the mid-1800s.  A Yemenite Jew named Yehia holding the 4 species in the sukka (1939) Yehia, the Yemenite Jew pictured here, was almost certainly part of a large migration of Jews who arrived in Jerusalem in the 1880s, well before the famous "Magic Carpet" operation that brought tens of thousands to the new state of Israel during 1949 and 1950. A more elaborate sukka in the Goldsmidt house (1934) in Jerusalem. Note the tapestry on the walls with Arabic script The Bassam family sukka in Rehavia, Jerusalem neighborhood (1939) Exterior of the Goldsmidt sukka in Jerusalem (1934) A Sephardi Jew named Avram relaxing in his Sukka with a friend (1939) The picture of an elaborate dinner was taken in a very large Jerusalem sukka belonging to the Goldsmidt family. Tapestries and fabrics hang on the wall of the sukka. Close examination shows that the fabric contains Arabic words, even some hung upside down. Several experts were asked this week to comment on the Arabic. One senior Israeli Arab affairs correspondent wrote, "It is apparently some quotes that I can read but do not amount to anything coherent, written in Kufi style of Arabic... [I] would not be surprised if these are Kuranic verses." Presumably the Goldsmidts and their guests didn't know about the Arabic phrases either.  A reader helped identify the Goldsmidts' building. "The Goldsmidts were friends of ours who lived on Ben-Maimon Street [in Jerusalem]. They had a restaurant [and that explains the diners in the sukka]. Our wedding reception was there. There's a plaque on 54 King George Street that says "Goldsmidt Building."  We invite readers to unravel the mystery of the tapestries, translate the phrases, and provide a contemporary picture of theGoldsmidts' building. Click on the photos to enlarge. Click on the captions to see the originals.

Beit Yeshua host Feast of Tabernacles (and the Loftin's sukka's!)

Shalom Y'all,

Just a reminder that Beit Yeshua will celebrate the Feast of Sukkot tonight, Friday, September 20, 2013, in the Family Life Center of Covenant Bible Church, 2168 Gastonia Hwy, Lincolnton, NC 28092.  

There will be a time of praise, worship & dance, followed by a message from our guest speaker, Warren Marcus, of Sid Roth Ministries, and Messianic Pastor at Steele Creek Church in Charlotte.  

The evening will conclude with Oneg - a time of food and fellowship.  Bring a kosher snack and come join us.

Brachot B'Yeshua,

(Blessings in Yeshua),
Curtis

We set up the sukkah in the Family Life Center on Thursday evening.

Curtis Loftin will be leading the Beit Yeshua Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) tonight.

Friday, September 20th - 7:00 pm - SUKKOT / Feast of Tabernacles - Family Life Center at Covenant Bible Church - Warren Marcus guest speaker

I hope you'll make plans to join us for this Fall Festivals.  Time 7:00 to 9:30 (with food & fellowship afterwards. 

Location: Covenant Bible Church

2168 Gastonia Hwy, Lincolnton, NC 28092

Curtis & Carolyn Loftin  - getting ready!

Beith Yeshua, Lincolnton, NC

(Party at their house afterwards???)

Paul & Susan Miles - Shabbat candle lighting

Warren Marcus - speaker at Feast of Tabernacles

Beith Yeshua Sept. 20, 2013 at 7 pm

Lincolnton, NC

... 2009 ...
We found the Star-of-David snowflakes at Wal-Mart in the Christmas section
... 2010
We have two outdoor metal tables and change them out depending on who's using the sukka

(Left) Jim & Linda built their first sukka on their deck - 

using just a little lumber and some sheets.

(Right) Paul & Susan built their first sukka out of bamboo 

with a blue tarp and some sheets.

Duke & Myrl's first sukka was built out of some scaffolding.


Just add branches on the top, fabric on the side, a little ivy and a table.

Beit Yeshua folks gather at Doug & Lynda's to build 

a community sukka from 2' x 2' x 8' lumber.


... add fabric and some colorful fall branches ...

... as well as some decorations.

The paper-chains added lots of color and festivity to this sukkah




The Beit Yeshua sukkah in 2010 ...


... and 2012

This particular sukka was decorated with white shower curtains from Wal-Mart and blue table cloths from the Dollar Store for curtains. We added some gold fabric, a nice banner, a table and some decorations.

Bamboo works nicely for the top of the sukka, too. This sukka also served as one of the scenes in the "Ancient Jewish Wedding" Drama.

Full Beit Yeshua website 

(where this was "borrowed" from!!) 

Curtis Loftin/Beit Yeshua