14 Sivan, 5779

Features

Sukkot On Cyprus

by B. Olidort - LARNAKA, CYPRUS

October 16, 2003

Jewish residents and tourists who frequent the lovely Mediterranean island of Cyprus at this time of year, had the opportunity to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot inside a sukkah—the first kosher sukkah ever in Cyprus.

Flown in from Israel, the sukkah was constructed on the grounds of the Cyprus Chabad House. At around 250 square feet, it is large enough to comfortably contain the large crowd that gathers every evening for a festive dinner, song and Torah study. Open round the clock, countless visitors have fulfilled the mitzvah of taking the four kinds (lulav and etrog) in the sukkah, where Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical students from Israel are on hand to greet and assist them.

Rabbi Zev Raskin, the Chabad-Lubavitch representative to Cyprus, has also arranged for a roving sukkah that travels the length and breadth of the island, giving thousands of Jews the chance to step inside and participate in the observances and traditions unique to Sukkot.

Word spreads fast on the island, and Rabbi Raskin has been inundated with calls regarding Simchat Torah. In true Chabad tradition, the rabbi and the rabbinical students are gearing up for Simchat Torah festivities where the dancing is sure to go on all night and the spirit of Jewish joy will carry on way beyond the holiday.

Print Comment RSS

Donate: Support the activities of Chabad-Lubavitch, click here to give a secure donation

Submit a comment

Most Recent

Most Viewed

Hamas Rocket Falls Outside the Chabad Center in Sderot
A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Thursday night fell less than fifteen meters (fifty feet) from the Chabad center in Sderot and hit a neighboring yeshivah building. No students were in the building at the time as they had already left to spend Shabbat with their families.
Frayda Kaplan | Friday, June 14
A Compact Study Routine
On a recent flight somewhere over the Rocky Mountains, Doug Revere pulled out his trusty Chayenu, a weekly compilation of Torah lessons and thoughts. When he noticed his acquaintance’s interest, he passed the publication over the armrest. Then he pulled out a second copy for himself.
Dvora Lakein | Thursday, June 13
Two New Jersey Teens Honored for Meal Program Initiative
It’s not very common for teenagers to be the honorees at a gala event, but that’s exactly what happened on May 22 at Chabad of Southeast Morris County in New Jersey. Oliver Simon and Sophia Smith, a high school junior and senior respectively, were awarded the first Teen Visionary Award at the annual Chabad Cares Gala, alongside three adult leaders.
Mussi Sharfstein | Tuesday, June 11
Union College Chabad Celebrates First Shavuot with a Torah of its Own
When Sara Covelli walked across the stage at Union College last spring and accepted a rolled parchment proclaiming that she had earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy and Climate Change, her parents, Robin Laveman and Irwin Krasnow, sat in the audience, poised to give a graduation gift of a different rolled parchment of great significance.
Tzipora Reitman | Thursday, June 6
Massachusetts Rally Combats Anti-Semitism
Hundreds bearing supportive signs and Israeli flags gathered at City Hall in Peabody, MA on Wednesday for a peace rally. The event was the community’s response to an anti-Semitic incident that occurred on Memorial Day weekend.
Aidel Cohen | Thursday, June 6

Itzhak Perlman, Ehud Barak Celebrate Opening of Campus/Community Chabad Center
Jewish college students in Jacksonville, Florida, and the city’s Southside Jewish community celebrated the opening of their new $3.8 million Morris and Lillian Tabacinic Chabad campus and Finker-Frenkel Chabad center earlier this winter, in style. Rabbi Shmuli and Chana Novack, of Chabad Southside, have been family to the area’s 500 Jewish college students and Southside community, and this new space provides a welcoming and more permanent home for them.
Mussi Sharfstein | Monday, May 27
Poway Ceremonies Mark One Month
Last month, darkness made its way into the foyer at Chabad of Poway, California. On Wednesday, it was a scene of joyous celebration.
Ashira Weiss | Thursday, May 30
Union College Chabad Celebrates First Shavuot with a Torah of its Own
When Sara Covelli walked across the stage at Union College last spring and accepted a rolled parchment proclaiming that she had earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy and Climate Change, her parents, Robin Laveman and Irwin Krasnow, sat in the audience, poised to give a graduation gift of a different rolled parchment of great significance.
Tzipora Reitman | Thursday, June 6
South London's First Kosher Shop Honors Memory of Rabbi's Slain Brother
London's new kosher shop had previously operated informally out of the home of Rabbi Nissan and Sarah Dubov, who founded Chabad of Wimbledon in 1988. An expanded version of the shop, now called Kosher Corner, opened last month at the new Chabad center, and is run by the Dubovs’ son-in-law and daughter, Rabbi Yossi and Leah Zlata Moscowitz.
Tzipora Reitman | Wednesday, June 5
Texting Teens Compete in Jewish Knowledge
For better or for worse, teenagers spend much of their time on their phones—nine hours a day on average—making it an effective way to reach them. At seven o’clock, every Monday and Thursday evening, the cell phones of over 3,000 Jewish teens around the United States and Canada buzz as they receive a text message with a Jewish question and a multiple-choice answer. JText, as the program is called, engages teens using the medium most comfortable to them, offering an opportunity to learn more about Judaism with a tap on their phones.
Mussi Sharfstein | Monday, May 20