A couple of years ago, I wrote a book about trying to live by all the rules of the Bible – moral, dietary, sartorial. Also architectural. For that last one, I had to build a build a hut and live it in for a week to remember my forefathers' flight through the wilderness (Leviticus 23:42). I couldn't get permission to build my hut on New York's sidewalks, so I ended up building a large rickety wooden structure in my living room. Which caused some consternation from my wife.
The commandment is still observed by religious Jews during the festival of Sukkoth in the fall. (My indoor hut wouldn't pass muster with rabbis, who say it's got to be outside).
Josh Foer and Roger Bennett — two friends of mine — are trying to reimagine this ancient tradition. They're holding an architectural contest in New York's Union Square, judged by heavyweights like Thom Mayne and New Yorker critic Paul Goldberger. So come September, look for Frank Gehry-like sukkahs, sukkahs on boats (which are kosher, I'm told), steampunk sukkahs (they've only had one steampunk entry so far, so they're looking for more). Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians are invited to enter as well.
Photo by RonAlmog / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
