This week, our AJA community came together to celebrate the joyful holiday of Sukkot! On Friday, students gathered to sing festive songs, shake the lulav and etrog, and hear from Cantor David Frommer — a U.S. Army Chaplain and AJA parent — who shared fascinating stories about what a U.S. Army Chaplain does and about celebrating Sukkot in different places around the world.
Students enjoyed eating lunch together inside the sukkah, and those who ordered hot lunch enjoyed a special treat: the chance to eat “Pizza in the Hut” 😉
Throughout the week, classes also visited the AJA sukkah, where students recited the traditional blessings and experienced the mitzvah of shaking the lulav and etrog up close.
AJA third graders have been learning about Sukkot by exploring the meanings behind the holiday’s different names. Chag HaSukkot — the Festival of Booths — reminds us of the sukkot the Israelites lived in as God protected them. Chag HaAsif highlights the harvest and agricultural side of the holiday, and Z’man Simchateinu teaches us that Sukkot is meant to be a time of great joy! Students created sukkah decorations, shook the lulav and etrog, and connected the holiday’s themes to the Hashkiveinu prayer, which speaks of God’s “sukkat shalom” — a shelter of peace.
Fourth graders also dove deeply into Sukkot, learning that it is both a harvest festival and a celebration of God’s protection of the Israelites. They discussed what materials people might have used to build their sukkot at different times and places in history — and had a good laugh imagining what it would be like to try to order a “Sukkah kit” on Amazon 200 years ago! Students made decorations for the school sukkah and shook the lulav and etrog.
Mo’adim L’Simcha and Shabbat Shalom!
Fifth graders have been learning enthusiastically about Sukkot. They explored the holiday’s origins in the Torah and learned from Yael and Leran, our Shinshinim, about how Sukkot is celebrated differently in Israel than here in Austin. They even learned a lively parody song to “Soda Pop,” joyfully singing about “my little sukkah hut!”
Meanwhile, sixth and seventh graders reviewed Sukkot as both a harvest festival and one of the three Pilgrimage festivals. During Tefillah, they had the opportunity to shake the lulav and etrog and took part in decorating our sukkah with a mega-long paper chain — a colorful example of Hiddur Mitzvah, the idea of beautifying a commandment.
The week was filled with music, learning, laughter, and connection. From creative classroom lessons to joyful moments inside the sukkah, students of all ages experienced the meaning and spirit of Sukkot in a truly special way at AJA.
