Sukkot On Cyprus

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.