Although several services were held on campus for Yom Kippur, many University Jewish students traveled home to spend a traditional holiday with loved ones.
About a dozen University students gathered at Rutgers Hillel yesterday to discuss their different experiences during the Yom Kippur holiday while preparing for the upcoming Festival of Sukkot.
"A lot of students like to go home to go to synagogue all together with their families … it's traditional," said Covey Schnipper, a Rutgers College senior. "People sing songs differently at their own synagogues."
There were egalitarian services Saturday with Rabbi Esther Reed at the Graduate Student Lounge in the Rutgers Student Center of the College Avenue campus. While other Orthodox students could attend a service at a synagogue in New Brunswick, said Rabbi Yisroel Porath, the Rutgers Hillel Jewish learning initiative director.
Gabe Homa, a Rutgers College junior, said the services held on or near campus were beneficial for students who lived far from the University, but he decided to go home to be with his family.
"The whole period of time starting with Rosh Hashana begins with self reflection, and Yom Kippur is the pinnacle of the whole experience of atonement," Porath said.
While the students who gathered at Rutgers Hillel yesterday said they left campus to celebrate Yom Kippur at home, they plan to participate in Sukkot at Rutgers Hillel.
The Festival of Sukkot lasts for seven days, beginning the fifth day after Yom Kippur to commemorate when the Hebrews left Egypt about 3,000 years ago, Porath said.
He said since a lot of students come to Rutgers Hillel, the organization wants to familiarize them with the holiday by erecting its own sukkah.
Porath said according to the Bible, God put the Hebrews in huts, so once a year, Jews build these temporary shelters known as sukkahs.
A sukkah may be any size, but must have at least two and a half walls covered with a material that can endure weather conditions, seeing that the dwelling is positioned outside.
"We always pray to have a sukkah of peace. Sukkahs have no foundations and peace should also stand on its own," Porath said.
He said while in Israel, he would sleep in the sukkah every year, but it is uncommon to sleep in the sukkah on campus. At Hillel, students instead will study, eat and socialize in an outside dwelling, but will rarely use it as a bedroom.
"It's all Jewish people around the world," Porath said. "Everybody's building sukkahs everywhere."
While Homa and Schnipper were constructing the sukkah as part of a "building extravaganza" yesterday, they said it will serve as a "second home" for Jewish students on campus over the next two weeks.
Using metal bars, canvass tarps, narrow wooden boards, tied bamboo and flood lights, the dozen students built the framework for the sukkah. Today, they will put the finishing touches on the project from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. by hanging signs, spices and other decorations to commemorate the holiday.
"We leave our permanent homes to show our belief in God by living in this temporary building," Porath said.
The sukkah is housing several upcoming events, including "Pizza in the Hut" next Monday, which are open to all students regardless of religious affiliation.
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