Sukkat Shalom/Tabernacle of Peace

On the Washington DCJCC's 16th Street Steps

As part of the Washington DCJCC's Reduce, Reuse, ReSukkah initiative, internationally acclaimed sculptor Dalya Luttwak was commissioned to reinterpret the traditional Sukkah for a public installation on the Center's 16th Street steps. This modern approach to an ancient tradition serves as a seasonal symbol of welcome and reconnection -- both to each other as individuals, and to the environment around us. Visitors are invited to enter and explore the Sukkah and passersby are exposed to a public display of Jewish culture that invites questions and communicates openness. The installation will remain on display beyond the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot, for much of the fall.

Dalya Luttwak
"Sukkat Shalom / Tabernacle of Peace"
Steel, 2012
www.dalyaluttwak.com
 

Artist Statement:
“Every year during the holiday of Sukkot, for one week, Jews all over the world spend time in temporary huts (Sukkah in Hebrew) to relive the experience of their ancestors of thousands of years ago, who stayed in huts while wandering in the desert for 40 years before reaching the Promised Land.  For all we know, those Sukkot (plural) were made of fronds of Palm trees that are prevalent in the Middle East and have long been used for this purpose.

The fronds of Palm, called Lulav, are present in each Sukkah and are used in a ritual everyday of the holiday.

Using steel as my medium, I reinterpreted the Sukkah and created its walls mimicking roots of Palm - each one of the 8 Roots looking like a hut; while the branches of the Palm Tree make the roof for my Sukkah.”