More than 500 people are expected at Congress Hill Farm in Monroe Township Sept. 30 for a Sukkot festival featuring a massive sukkah, kosher barbecue, carnival rides, live music and family entertainment.
MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ — A 5,000-square-foot sukkah large enough to seat hundreds of guests will rise at Congress Hill Farm next week as Jewish communities from across Central Jersey gather for one of the region’s largest celebrations of Sukkot.
SukkahFest is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Congress Hill Farm, 118 Federal Road in Monroe Township.
Organizers expect more than 500 people for an evening combining traditional Sukkot observances with carnival rides, a kosher barbecue, live music and family entertainment.
At the center of it all will be the enormous temporary sukkah.
5,000 Square Feet Under the Sukkah
Jewish families traditionally eat inside a sukkah during the weeklong holiday, using a temporary outdoor structure topped with natural vegetation such as branches or bamboo.
The structure planned for SukkahFest will cover approximately 5,000 square feet and provide seating for guests during the festival’s kosher barbecue.
“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. People of all ages and backgrounds, in one sukkah, sharing in joy while celebrating the holiday and its traditions.”
The event is being organized by Chabad of Ocean and Western Monmouth Counties together with Chabad centers in Manalapan, Freehold, Holmdel, Lakewood and Toms River.
Friendship Circle, Camp Gan Israel and Chabad Hebrew School are also participating.
Carnival Rides, Concert and Variety Show
SukkahFest is designed as both a religious celebration and a family festival.
The grounds will feature carnival rides along with a live performance by New York-based rock band Top Cats.
Entertainer Ridiculous Nicholas is also scheduled to perform a comedy-variety show. The performer has appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Rabbi Avraham Bernstein, director of Camp Gan Israel of Central Jersey, said organizers have never attempted a Sukkot gathering of this size during Chabad’s four decades serving the region.
“In the forty years Chabad has been in this region, we’ve never done anything on this scale for Sukkot,” Bernstein said. “This event is built for families of all ages to enjoy.”
What Sukkot Celebrates
Sukkot begins at sundown Friday, Sept. 25, and continues through nightfall Friday, Oct. 2.
One of Judaism’s three biblical pilgrimage festivals, Sukkot commemorates the temporary shelters associated with the Israelites’ journey through the desert following the Exodus from Egypt.
It also has deep agricultural roots as a harvest festival and is traditionally referred to as a season of rejoicing.
During the holiday, families eat meals inside sukkahs, and some people sleep in them as well.
Another central observance involves the Four Kinds — a palm branch, citron, myrtle and willow — which are held together and waved during prayers. Guests at SukkahFest will be able to participate in that tradition.
More information about the holiday and its customs is available through Chabad’s Sukkot guide.
Communities Across Ocean and Monmouth Joining Together
Although the festival itself will take place in Monroe Township in Middlesex County, many of the organizations behind it serve Jewish communities throughout Ocean and Monmouth counties.
Rabbi Shmaya Galperin, director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Holmdel, said the event gives communities that normally hold their own local holiday programs an opportunity to gather in one place.
“Our community is so excited for this,” Galperin said. “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.”
Organizers said SukkahFest is open to everyone regardless of religious background or level of observance.
Tickets Discounted to $10
Admission is currently $10 per person, and advance registration is required through SukkahFestNJ.com.
The festival runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Congress Hill Farm, 118 Federal Road in Monroe Township.
For organizers, the scale of the sukkah is only part of the attraction. The larger goal is bringing families from communities across the region together beneath one roof — even if that roof is deliberately made from branches.
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