The BiblioSukkah was part of Sukkah Wood -- an event where local and city artists will produce temporary dwelling art installations for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

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The BiblioSukkah’s walls are bookshelves, and all the books in the walls are free to be read and even take home. At Sukkah Wood, Sukkah-goers sat and read one of the books while nestled in a cozy nook within the Sukkah, or took the book with them, enabling them to create their own Sukkot in their minds whenever they read, share, or consider the book. Meanwhile, the metaphors contained within the walls continue on the roof. The schach is made of hollow bamboo that contains a handwritten scroll of biblical text that refers to the mitzvot of the Sukkah, similar to a mezuzah or tefillin.

 

The BiblioSukkah represents how books, and their ability to inspire our creative thought, help us connect with people, ideas, and places beyond our immediate physical and emotional surroundings. We want to emphasize that the Sukkah, like a home, is more than a physical thing. It is a place, much like a good book, where relationships and meaning begin and continue to develop over time.

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In the weeks leading up to Sukkah Wood, I collected over 400 books from various generous donors, and at the event gave away over 250 books to a diverse and excited group of readers who visited my Sukkah. The remaining book that were donated to the project went to Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, a local charity near where I grew up that works to provide funding, programs, and materials and equipment to MoCo Public Libraries to augment public funding.