'The Holiday Of Unity': Hundreds Unite For Monmouth SukkahFest

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — Over 600 people came together at the end of September for SukkahFest, the region's largest family celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Held on Sept. 30 at Congress Hill Farm in Monroe (home to Camp Gan Israel), the event was hosted by local Chabad and Jewish institutions serving Ocean and Western Monmouth Counties.

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During the event, a 5,000-square-foot sukkah (a temporary open-roofed structure covered in natural branches, in which Jewish families eat their meals during the weeklong holiday) rose, and attendees enjoyed carnival rides, a live concert and more.

At 5,000 square feet, the sukkah is the largest in Monmouth County, and it sat guests for a kosher barbecue during the event.

In addition to the sukkah and carnival rides, the festival also featured a live concert by Top Cats, a New York-based rock band, and a variety show by Ridiculous Nicholas, the comedy-variety performer who has appeared on NBC's "America's Got Talent" and "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."

"Sukkot is the holiday of unity," said Rabbi Boruch Chazanow, director of Chabad of Ocean and Western Monmouth Counties.

"That's exactly what this event is," Chazanow continued. "People of all ages and backgrounds, in one sukkah, sharing in joy while celebrating the holiday and its traditions."

Sukkot, which started this year at sundown on Sept. 25, is one of Judaism's three pilgrimage festivals and is traditionally known as "the season of our rejoicing."

It commemorates the shelter provided to the Israelites during their 40 years in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and doubles as a harvest festival.

Its traditions include eating meals in the sukkah throughout the week and shaking the "Four Kinds" — a palm frond, citron, myrtle, and willow, held together. Both were available to guests at the festival.

"In the forty years Chabad has been in this region, we've never done anything on this scale for Sukkot," said Rabbi Avraham Bernstein, director of Camp Gan Israel of Central Jersey.

"This event is built for families of all ages to enjoy," Bernstein continued. "It's going to shake up the community in the best way."

"Our community is so excited for this," Rabbi Shmaya Galperin, director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Holmdel, added prior to the event. "In addition to our own holiday programming in Holmdel, we're thrilled to join forces with communities across the county and bring everyone together for this celebration."

To learn more about Chabad events and programs, you can click here.