Secular Jewish Group Adopts Chabad’s Sukkah Mobile

In what may be a first, a non-frum Jewish organization has adopted Chabad’s idea of the Sukkah Mobile, bringing the mitzvah of sukkah, along with lulav and esrog, to Jews wherever they are. The goal is to reach Jews who otherwise may never encounter these mitzvos and give them the opportunity to experience the joy of Yom Tov.

The Den Collective, a self-described secular and “non-denominational” Jewish organization in Washington, D.C., which serves the local Jewish community, built its first Sukkah Mobile this year.

The original plan was to build a sukkah in the courtyard of the Adams Morgan condominium building, but the building association did not allow it in the shared space. So Anne Wolfe, a director at The Den, and her husband, Sam, decided to do what Chabad has been doing for years. They rented a red pickup truck and built a sukkah on the back of it.

Chabad’s Sukkah Mobiles trace back to the Rebbe’s call, more than 70 years ago, for Chassidim to go out and reach fellow Yidden with the mitzvah of lulav and esrog. In the decades since, Chassidim have continued finding new ways to bring the mitzvah to every Yid, wherever he may be.

One such initiative was the Sukkah Mobile, which, much like the Mitzvah Tank, brings the mitzvah to Yidden in every setting, from soldiers on the battlefield to tourists on the streets of Manhattan. In the years since, thousands of Sukkah Mobiles have gone out, connecting with Yidden around the world.

Having a sukkah on wheels meant that Jews who otherwise would not have made it to a sukkah could still take part.

“What could be more open than being able to drive around and literally move the sukkah from location to location, state to state?” Wolfe told the Washington Jewish Week.

The truck, a lifted Ram 1500 topped with a six-foot structure, quickly drew attention on the streets of Washington. Passersby stopped to say “Chag Sameach” or ask what it was.

Countless passersby came over to visit the sukkah, with many also taking the opportunity to shake lulav and esrog with Wolfe and her husband.

“One woman specifically said that her work has just been really busy lately, and she wasn’t going to be able to make it to a sukkah,” Wolfe recalled. “And when she saw that we were going to be bringing the sukkah to her area, she signed up right away and was so happy.”

The original Sukkah Mobiles, manned by the Rebbe’s shluchim, bochurim, and yungeleit, are still going strong. This year, well over two dozen Sukkah Mobiles are on the road across the tri-state area alone, with dozens more operated by shluchim around the world, reaching hundreds of thousands of Yidden.

“I think people are excited to see something that reminds them of home,” Wolfe said. “I have such warm memories of being a little kid in a sukkah, so I imagine that when people see one in a place they don’t expect, it’s really exciting.”