Sukkot

A celebration and dinner organized by David Bernstein, Jaz Okolodkoff, Lara Bongard, Michelle Woods, and Oleg Asoiev. Hosted by Morpho, Antwerp.

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot celebrates the transition of the seasons and the bounty of the harvest by building a temporary hut (Sukkah) outside, where meals can take place and invisible guests can be invited and honoured. The event featured a conceptual dinner, collective decorations, and a queer film screening program.

Typically we shake the “four species” on Sukkot. They are traditionally date palm, willow, myrtle, and the etrog, a large fragrant citrus fruit. These species carry different symbolism, relating to scent and the body, and are shaken in all directions as a kind of rain dance for a good harvest in the coming year. But as we are not living in the biblical land of Palestine/Israel where these plants indigenously grow, we are here — in Belgium.

So, in the spirit of Doykeit, the Yiddish concept of ‘here-ness,’ and embracing the idea of diaspora as home, David created a Diasporic Lulav and Etrog out of plants found locally. Lara created a menu in collaboration with Michelle Woods.