Our New York City Sukkah: The Challenge (Part 2 of 2) By Rabbi David Woznica As described in yesterday's writing, New York City (indeed, many an urban center) poses a challenge when it comes to the question of where to erect a sukkah. Here's what we did. Taking the freight elevator to the basement of our building (you might imagine the experience of going through the basement of a building erected before the First World War with few—if any—updates), we exited the rear basement door and entered a courtyard. I'll ask you to suspend whatever positive image you may have of a "courtyard" for the duration of this piece. This concrete courtyard abutted three other concrete courtyards of the adjoining buildings. Peering straight up, one is treated to a sliver of sky. The courtyards were separated by chain-link fences of approximately 10 feet in height. Apparently more is needed [...]

Our New York City Sukkah: The Challenge (Part 1 of 2) By Rabbi David Woznica I was fortunate to spend 13 exciting years in New York City before joyfully returning to my native Los Angeles in 2001. I had many memorable Jewish experiences in the Big Apple. The holiday of Sukkot stands out for reasons you are not likely to expect. Here's the challenge: Where does one build a sukkah in New York City (or any urban center)? My family's last apartment was on the upper west side of Manhattan at the intersection of West End Avenue and 104th Street. There were many practicing Jews in the building (a few Orthodox and many non-Orthodox-but-observant). This Jewish make-up was common in our neighborhood. Virtually everyone in Manhattan lives in apartment buildings. Balconies are rare and usually very small. There are virtually no back or front yards. Like many cities, it [...]