Oct. 11, 2006. 01:00 AM
MICHELE HENRY
STAFF REPORTER
Nestled between the Bank of Montreal's trading floor and a mini-putt course, it's a wonder anyone knows about the downtown sukkah.
With only a small sign discreetly leading the way up to a rooftop terrace at First Canadian Place, the temporary wooden shelter is tough to find.
But for more than 20 years Jews in the know have been making a lunchtime pilgrimage from around the downtown core to this hidden hub during the weeklong festival of Sukkot.
Under a ceiling of bamboo sticks and evergreen leaves, they observe an age-old tradition in the heart of Toronto.
"It's great that they have it here," Mordy Bobrowsky said, inhaling an egg-salad sandwich yesterday from a bench inside the structure.
"If they didn't have it, I don't know what I'd do."
For eight days, Jews pay homage to God for sheltering the Israelites as they wandered through the desert thousands of years ago, by eating all their meals in a wobbly structure under the sky.
"We're going out of our sheltered environments," said Rabbi Aaron Grossbaum.
"We eat in a flimsy hut so we recognize the ultimate protector is God's benevolence."
But, breaking bread outdoors in the city's core can be tricky.
"I had to run here," Bobrowsky, a 29-year-old lawyer, said, explaining he left a lunch meeting with colleagues to eat quickly in this open-air hut, before the group starts talking business.
Ryan Peck pops his head inside and peers at the growing crowd of Jews, bagged lunches in hand, sitting down to feast.
The 35-year-old lawyer announces he'll be back in a little while to eat.
"I think if a society wants to truly support multiculturalism, things like this are beautiful," he said, noting he's erected a sukkah at his home, where he dines each night with his family.
Run by the Chabad Lubavitch, a sect of orthodox Jews, this sukkah has been a fixture at the foot of the courthouse for more than 20 years.
"We came downtown to try and invigorate Judaism and spirituality into the city around us," said Levi Gansburg, 23, who helped erect the Old City Hall sukkah, which usually gets more than 200 visitors a day.
Many are tourists, he said, who come to say a prayer at the station, which has the appropriate instruments of Sukkot prayer set up inside.
But many are also non-Jews who want to know what the hut and holiday are all about.
Heather Ferguson's head turns in the direction of the Queen St. sukkah as it sways in the breeze.
"What is this all about?" she asks, and one of the men inside gives her a quick rundown.
"I didn't know what a sukkah was before and I was interested," she said, looking at the activity around the makeshift shelter.
"This is one of the great things about living in Toronto."
MICHELE HENRY
STAFF REPORTER
Nestled between the Bank of Montreal's trading floor and a mini-putt course, it's a wonder anyone knows about the downtown sukkah.
With only a small sign discreetly leading the way up to a rooftop terrace at First Canadian Place, the temporary wooden shelter is tough to find.
But for more than 20 years Jews in the know have been making a lunchtime pilgrimage from around the downtown core to this hidden hub during the weeklong festival of Sukkot.
Under a ceiling of bamboo sticks and evergreen leaves, they observe an age-old tradition in the heart of Toronto.
"It's great that they have it here," Mordy Bobrowsky said, inhaling an egg-salad sandwich yesterday from a bench inside the structure.
"If they didn't have it, I don't know what I'd do."
For eight days, Jews pay homage to God for sheltering the Israelites as they wandered through the desert thousands of years ago, by eating all their meals in a wobbly structure under the sky.
"We're going out of our sheltered environments," said Rabbi Aaron Grossbaum.
"We eat in a flimsy hut so we recognize the ultimate protector is God's benevolence."
But, breaking bread outdoors in the city's core can be tricky.
"I had to run here," Bobrowsky, a 29-year-old lawyer, said, explaining he left a lunch meeting with colleagues to eat quickly in this open-air hut, before the group starts talking business.
Ryan Peck pops his head inside and peers at the growing crowd of Jews, bagged lunches in hand, sitting down to feast.
The 35-year-old lawyer announces he'll be back in a little while to eat.
"I think if a society wants to truly support multiculturalism, things like this are beautiful," he said, noting he's erected a sukkah at his home, where he dines each night with his family.
Run by the Chabad Lubavitch, a sect of orthodox Jews, this sukkah has been a fixture at the foot of the courthouse for more than 20 years.
"We came downtown to try and invigorate Judaism and spirituality into the city around us," said Levi Gansburg, 23, who helped erect the Old City Hall sukkah, which usually gets more than 200 visitors a day.
Many are tourists, he said, who come to say a prayer at the station, which has the appropriate instruments of Sukkot prayer set up inside.
But many are also non-Jews who want to know what the hut and holiday are all about.
Heather Ferguson's head turns in the direction of the Queen St. sukkah as it sways in the breeze.
"What is this all about?" she asks, and one of the men inside gives her a quick rundown.
"I didn't know what a sukkah was before and I was interested," she said, looking at the activity around the makeshift shelter.
"This is one of the great things about living in Toronto."
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