A tradition of impermanence

Sunday afternoon's rain did not stop a group of Wesleyan students from doing their homework. This semester's Architecture II class gathered on the soggy lawn of the Center For the Arts to construct a Sukkah, which is a temporary shelter created for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

This year, as the Wesleyan Argus reported, the class took on the job of creating a Sukkah that could be dismantled and re-used for the next year's celebration.

Those of us who walk or drive on Church Street had grown accustomed to the student-built Sukkah that sprouted up on the lawn of Olin Library every Fall. Typically made of plywood walls, often scrawled with slogans, it suggested an easy and celebratory atmosphere. During the seven-day holiday in late September or October, students would eat meals in their creation, or hang out with friends. Undoubtedly a few slept over, in keeping with the pilgrimage spirit of this holiday.

We watched for a bit as the students persisted with their project through the drizzle. Their main task seemed to be the creation of the roof panels, made of bamboo woven with filament. This follows the stricture that the Sukkah should be covered with a material that is cut from the earth, providing shade but letting the rain come through.

Starting next Fall, this new temporary - but re-usable - Sukkah will sit on Foss Hill.