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The Jewish holiday of Succot (feast of booths or huts) is celebrated right after the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur which are known as the days of judgment and awe; Succot is a harvest holiday where we not only remember that the ancient Israelites dwelled in a Succah ( Huts/booths) in the desert after escaping from Egypt; actually build a Succah to eat there and have a little of the feeling of how it was like living in a humble dwelling, yet having the Divine clouds of protection better than any modern security system ever created.
Besides the Mitzvah (Torah commandment) of building a Succah; we say blessings on the harvest fruits such as an etrog (Citron) and pray for protection from calamities for the four corners of the earth, and get to enjoy many celebrations with music and dancing.
After the days of judgment we embrace the holiday of Succot where we have the joy of experiencing the spiritual blessings and the fun that this holiday has to offer and the last days of Succot are actually Shmeni Atzret and Simchat Torah which mark the ending of the Torah reading cycle with lots of dancing and rejoicing !
Yesterday, I went to Crown Heights where Jewish people from all over the world come to celebrate and dance together where there’s concert staged from Chabad.
I had a great time, because I met some friends from the Jewish community of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and we had so much fun together and saw Brazilian flags waved by some Jewish guys from Rio; we were happy that Rio will host the Olympic games, but even happier to celebrate Succot together in a place which has become a meeting point in New York.
Talking about the Olympic Games in Rio on 2016; I bet that few people know that the real contributor for this is the Jewish Brazilian Olympic bid president Carlos Nuzman!
So, all the Brazilian flags in Crown Heights reminded me and should remind Brazil’s President Lula that Carlos Nuzman is Jewish and was the key element to bring the games to Rio.
Most Jewish people in Brazil have an active role of contribution to Brazil’s culture, arts, music, business, economy and sports and now more than ever a contribution to the Olympic Games!
I uploaded some mini videos of the celebration in Crown Heights (has 4 tiny parts) just press on the text and it directs to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sNPuuiMv-Q
About Nuzman :
http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=204800653
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlos_Nuzman.jpg
http://www.gonomad.com/roundworldphoto/2007/10/carlos-nuzman.html
