The Jerusalem Post - The Jerusalem Post Magazine
Sukkot with the president
Since 1952, all of Israel’s presidents, beginning with Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, and including the current President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, have hosted the public at the President’s Residence during Hol Hamoed Sukkot – the intermediate days of the festival – for an open house designed around a specific theme and including exhibits and activities. This year, President Rivlin is once again inviting the public to celebrate Sukkot with the traditional visit to his sukkah on Thursday, October 17. The theme of this year’s sukkah visit, presented by the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry, is “Discovering Israel’s treasures at the president’s sukkah.”
The event will feature live Klezmer music and actors portraying famous Israeli personalities, including Theodor Herzl, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, and others, will appear at various stations. The event, which is designed for the entire family, will include a variety of different activities, from sifting the ancient sands from Jerusalem’s City of David, to viewing the battle of David and Goliath in an augmented reality environment, wearing special VR goggles. Visitors can visit the presidential platform to meet and greet President Rivlin.
Special displays and activities including archaeology, dance and archival audio materials of holiday songs and Jewish liturgical poems (piyyutim) from Israel’s National Library will be available for visitors. In addition, Yad Ben Zvi and the Shazar Center will be collecting letters and photos from different periods in Israel’s history for including in the country’s archives. Individuals are invited to bring documents and photos for scanning. The Agriculture Ministry will present the special and delightful fruits of the Holy Land at its booth.
Don’t miss Sukkot at the President’s Residence: Thursday, October 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (entry until 3 p.m.). Admission is free. Visitors are required to bring an identification card or passport for admittance. Entrance will be at 3 Hanasi Street. Chag Sameach!
This article was written in cooperation with the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry.