A succah with a difference
Sarah Levin, Jerusalem Post
October 19, 2003 -- In May 2001, the nation was shocked by the brutal murders of 13-year-old friends Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran of Tekoa. The boys were stoned to death by Palestinians in a cave not far from their homes.
In the aftermath of the murders, Koby's parents, Seth and Sherri Mandell, established the Koby Mandell Foundation (www.kobymandell.org) to initiate and implement programs designed to help terror victims and their families turn their pain and suffering into positive personal growth, deeper interpersonal relationships, and active community leadership.
Last week, the Koby Mandell Foundation set up the "Solidarity Succa - a Tapestry of Love, Hope, and Remembrance" at the Great Synagogue downtown.
The succa is "a public grieving to show solidarity for those who have been killed [in terror attacks]," explained event coordinator Lisa Barkan. "We're here to show others that our pain is their pain and to celebrate Succot as one family."
On Monday, the succa was opened to the public with US Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer in attendance.
The four walls of the succa were created from artwork put together by bereaved family members. Detailed paintings and painstakingly hand-sewn square patchworks were spun into tapestries of eulogies by professional quilters.
In total, 16 wall hangings were created, depicting personal items, poems, letters, photographs, and even favorite clothing of the lost family members.
"When you enter this succa you say to each grieving family you are not alone, and you are not abandoned," said Sherri Mandell. "Like the quilts in this succa, the Jewish people are one fabric. Though we may be ripped, we will never be torn apart. We will never be destroyed. We will continue in love, in hope, and in healing."
Mandell added that sitting together in the succa provides an opportunity to share, to continue life, and to pray that "no more innocent lives will be taken."
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