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Occupy LA isn't going anywhere; in fact, they're planning ahead. As part of the protests, the Progressive Jewish Alliance will build a Sukkah on the grassy area in front of City Hall on October 16.
Sukkot, in case you didn't know, is a Jewish holiday that falls sometime in late September or early October each year (Jewish holidays take place in accordance with the Jewish calendar, not the Gregorian calendar). It lasts for seven days, and is intended to be a remembrance of the time that Jews lived in makeshift homes while crossing the desert out of Egypt.
The holiday involves building a Sukkah, which is essentially a little outdoor hut (if you've ever walked around Fairfax or Pico Robertson this time of year, you've no doubt seen one). Families decorate it and eat meals in there, and the most hardcore among us will even sleep there.
So. Now that you've reaped the benefits of my Hebrew school education, let's move on. The Progressive Jewish Alliance will hold a program inside the Occupy LA Sukkah beginning at 1:00 p.m. on the same day it's built, according to a statement released today. Those who want to help put the structure up can arrive earlier.
The statement notes that the point of the Sukkah at Occupy LA is in part to create a space for participants to get together and talk about how to create a more just society. Also:
This Sukkah - which participants will build together - will serve as a focus of celebration and reflection. It will stand as a symbol of both the fragility of life for many people right now and the persistence of our dreams for a better life for all. This Just Sukkah will be erected at a time when the need is great to come together in the spirit of transforming our city into a community in which justice dwells.
