Sukkot In Istanbul Continues Our Traditions

Sukkot has always been for me a sign for the ending summer holidays and starting school time. In my adolescence, I remember still being in Burgaz island, during the Sukkot holiday, where we passed the summer. At that time school was starting at the end of September. Thus, being in summer places was better for families celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, as it was much more comfortable to prepare for those special days.

In Burgaz, one of the nine princes’ islands an hour off Istanbul, we had a small synagogue where the community was not only gathering for prayers but also for Torah lessons. Nearly all my friends of my age, boys as well as girls, were attending these sessions, during which we were preparing for our bar and bat mitzvah.

The small garden of the synagogue was where the sukkah was built, where people sat and ate, sang, chatted, and discussed daily things… business, politics… Gossip obviously was an important part of the event. We had to make a reservation to be able to sit under the sukkah and listen to what the Rabbi explained to us: On the meaning of Sukkot; on what were the expectations of our ancestors during the 40 long years passed at the wilderness of Sinai; on the importance of observing, teaching Judaism – all these along with some anecdotes that were always part of his talks.

The elderly people were always nodding to what our Rabbi said, murmuring also their regret about the reluctance young people were showing in attending daily prayers. Was it boring? The only thing I can remember is that Sukkot services were more attractive because of the ambiance the sukkah offered, most probably.