Culture, sports

Ten stations featured activities connected to Israeli culture and sports, with children and families the primary focus.

Children could participate in creative activities, listen to Israeli stories and explore stations devoted to Israeli cinema and sports. A story corner featured the works of the late national poet Hayim Nahman Bialik, while Paralympic athletes were among the sports presenters.

Security was extensive, with visitors undergoing screening before entering the compound.

A personal connection

For Grace Miller, the morning offered a chance to participate in a Jerusalem tradition she had never experienced.

Miller made aliyah from Philadelphia 22 years ago. She arrived early and was among the first visitors to enter the grounds, where she had her photograph taken with the president and his wife.

It was her first Open Sukkah.

“I wish I had brought my 15 grandchildren,” she told JNS.

Asked why she had come,to the sukkah, Miller replied, “I was walking, and I felt like it.” She added that she had “the ultimate respect and kavod (respect)” for the Herzogs and for what they do to represent the country.

For another visitor, however, the visit carried a more meaning.

A woman accompanying a man in a wheelchair told JNS that it was her first time attending the Open Sukkah. She had come with a simple purpose: to thank the president and his wife.

“My son was wounded in Gaza in ‘Tzuk Eitan’” she said, referring to Israel’s 2014 war against Hamas, known in English as ‘Operation Protective Edge.’ “We wanted to say thank you for what they have done for him over the years.”

Visitors received a metal mug as a souvenir and also for drinking water during the event, with water coolers positioned throughout the grounds. Unlike at previous Open Sukkah events, there were no food tastings.

Originally published at: https://www.jns.org/feature/presidents-residence-opens-sukkah-to-public-in-celebration-of-israeli-spirit