Celebrate Sukkot With Us
Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish harvest festival that begins five days after Yom Kippur. We celebrate by gathering in a sukkah, a temporary outdoor shelter that recalls the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness.
With its fragile walls and open roof, the sukkah reminds us that life is not always as sturdy or predictable as we would like. Still, we gather beneath it. We share meals, welcome guests, give thanks for what sustains us, and make room for joy.
This year, there are plenty of ways to celebrate at Temple Beth El. Help us build the sukkah, join us for Shabbat, gather with your TBE community, or lend a hand when it is time to take everything back down.
Sukkot Event Schedule
Wednesday, September 23 @ 4:00pm–7:00pm
Help us kick off Sukkot with our first community sukkah build and dinner. Drop in when you can, whether you stay for the whole evening or simply lend a hand along the way. No building experience is needed, and there is a role for every age and ability.
Dinner is free, but registration helps us plan accordingly.
Register by Sunday, September 20.
Friday, September 25 @ 5:00pm–6:00pm
Come early and help bring the Temple Beth El sukkah to life. We will have crafts and decorations for all ages before our Sukkot Shabbat worship experience begins.
No registration is required.
Sukkot Shabbat Worship Experience and Dinner
Friday, September 25 @ 6:13pm
Weather permitting, we will gather outside for a music-filled Sukkot Shabbat experience in and around the sukkah. After services, we will continue the evening with Shabbat dinner and dessert under the open sky.
Register for dinner by Tuesday, September 22.
Saturday, September 26 @ 10:00am at Marion Diehl Park
Spend Sukkot Shabbat morning outside with Rabbi Knight, Rabbi Erdheim, and, very likely, a dog or two. We will begin with Torah study and then take a walk together through a peaceful natural setting.
No prior Torah knowledge or hiking experience is needed. Friendly dogs are welcome.
Share Shabbat Sukkot Celebration
Saturday, September 26 @ 12:00pm
One year ago, Temple Beth El launched Share Shabbat with a simple invitation: open our doors, our tables, and our tradition to people beyond the Jewish community.
Join us for Shabbat lunch in the sukkah as we celebrate the relationships and conversations that have grown during Share Shabbat’s first year. Bring a non-Jewish friend, neighbor, coworker, or loved one and help us imagine what comes next.
If you have not participated in Share Shabbat yet, this is a lovely place to begin.
Register by Tuesday, September 22.
LIBERTY Fall Fest in the Sukkah
Saturday, September 26 @ 6:00pm
Teens in grades 8-12 are invited to celebrate Sukkot with LIBERTY! Join us for a pumpkin-spiced fall festival in the sukkah featuring games, crafts, dinner, and more!
Register by Friday, September 25.
Sips in the Sukkah with Miriam’s Well
Monday, September 28 @ 6:00pm-8:00pm
Join us to learn more about the Festival of Sukkot, shake the lulav and etrog, and enjoy dinner with the women of Miriam’s Well.
Register by Wednesday, September 23.
Tuesday, September 29 @ 6:30pm-8:30pm
Young adults in their 20s and 30s are invited to a Sukkot cookout with TBE Jam. As part of Share Shabbat, bring a few friends, neighbors, or colleagues to hang out in the sukkah, eat together, and share the holiday with someone experiencing it for the first time.
Registration is required for everyone attending.
Register by Wednesday, September 23.
SPICE Lunch in the Sukkah: The House We Are Building
Wednesday, September 30 @ 11:00am-1:00pm
Welcome a new year of SPICE programming with lunch in the sukkah and a candid, hopeful conversation about the future of Temple Beth El.
Join Rabbi Asher Knight, Jonathan Friedman, and Diana Warth to explore what this moment is asking of Jewish life in Charlotte and how we can build a congregational home that continues to shelter, sustain, and inspire.
Lunch includes vegetable lasagna, salad, garlic bread, fruit, and Italian desserts.
Register by Sunday, September 27.
Brotherhood Dinner, Drinks & Stogies in the Sukkah
Thursday, October 1 @ 6:30pm-8:30pm
Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are behind us, the sukkah is up, and it is time to raise a glass.
Join the TBE Brotherhood for filet, heavy appetizers, desserts, drinks, cigars, and plenty of good conversation under the sukkah. Bring a favorite bourbon or scotch to share, plus a cigar if that is your thing. No cigar required.
Rabbi Asher Knight and Jonathan Friedman will also join us for a brief conversation about the important role Brotherhood plays at Temple Beth El.
Register by Sunday, September 27.
Sunday, October 4 @ 9:00am-10:30am
Many hands make light work! Join us as we take down the TBE sukkah and pack it away until next year. All are welcome, and bagels will be provided for volunteers.
Register by Thursday, October 1.