The East London Sukkah

Emdad Rahman

Sukkah:

* a temporary, fragile structure, built at the end of harvest in the autumn.

* a structure built of natural materials, a house of plants and branches.

* a  home for 7 days, where, you eat, sleep, party and make love.

* a parody of a house, a satire on construction.

* a site where the lord of the manor becomes closer to the man who sleeps on the park bench.

* a temporary autonomous zone.

* a place of meeting, of radical hospitality.

* a place of joy.

What do you end up with when you throw in a Mosque, Jewish festival, vegan culinary delights, and superb architecture at a city farm?

No immediate ideas but I trotted along to the East London Sukkah to find out.

The Sukkah is a temporary, organic and transient dwelling growing out of Jewish tradition to celebrate the harvest. This construction at Spitalfields City Farm has been built across faiths and cultures, all coming together under its shelter to share meals, talks, performances and dialogues on food, faith and community.

Jewdas, a London based Jewish Diaspora group in collaboration with Openvizor, The East London Mosque and The Wayward Plant Registry created London’s first ever open-door, public Sukkah for a week of meals, workshops, talks and performances.

The Sukkah is described as an inherently utopian space – a place of hospitality, of meeting, of being surrounding by nature. The East London Sukkah took this idea further – imagining the sukkah as a ‘temporary autonomous zone’, a place where we can imagine, and discuss a world after oil, financial meltdown – a post-capitalist society.

Throughout the week participants examined a vision of a simpler, more ethical society, one that could sustainably survive into the future.

The Sukkah has been based at Spitalfields City Farm, a magnetic construction slap bang on the border of one of Europe’s richest yet poorest locations. On one side is Europe’s financial hub, whilst on the other is my beloved Tower Hamlets – ethnic, happy, vibrant, diverse, yet full of poverty.

Accompanied by the boys, I visited the Sukkah last week. We observed the activities, enjoyed the amazing revelry and atmosphere, and took in the aromas. We met fellow guests and visitors and the children had a whale of a time scaling the wooden pallet walls in true Krypton Factor style.

This fascinating observance is part of the festival of Sukkot. It is a period when Jews recall their nomadic history and move into momentary and temporary homes.

Meeting the remarkable Abbas Nokhasteh, who gave us a tour and plenty of information during our visit, was a windfall.

Abbas is an Iranian born Muslim. He is a Director at Openvizor - an organization and platform supporting arts and cultural collaboration and practice development across borders, cultures and disciplines.

“The Sukkah has been welcomed by everyone,” said Abbas. Last Week we had a large number of pupils from the East London Mosque who came to help us start construction. It was pouring with rain, but they were determined to stay.

“We sheltered them with tarpaulin as best as we could and merrily got on with things.”

The children from the U.K.’s biggest Muslim community raised the Sukkah roof last week - a canopy of laurel leaves coupled together with twine. The students partook in a workshop to discuss food and ethics and drew sketches of their choice foods. Highlighting a popular cuisine of the area that we live in, I noticed rather a lot of big portions of fish and chips.

Dilowar Khan, Director of the East London Mosque addressed the students in the Sukkah, speaking of Jewish culture. Abbas informed me that the students’ eyes widened when they realized the Semitic similarities between both faiths, exclaiming; “Oh, it’s just like us!”

Abbas, who is also the Sukkah’s co-producer spoke about the importance of learning to live with and learn from the Jewish community.

“We face issues on a daily basis that work to separate us through conflict. We’re all one race, the human race and we have to come together. That is the total reality.

“Dilowar, Shaynul and Salman from the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre have been so unbelievably supportive, and have extended so much help and advice. We are so grateful.”

Tower Hamlets large Muslim population has welcomed the Sukkah; “I really enjoyed visiting the Sukkah,” said Talha. “I loved climbing the walls, it was great fun.”

“It’s chung?” whistled my nephew Abbas. “Chung” roughly translates as great/good looking in the Urban lingo.

Hamza aged six was also a visitor. “I liked Abbas (Nokhasteh) a lot. Everyone was very friendly and I liked the sitting room” (seating area).

Caring Hamza added; “I am worried about the people because they will get wet if it rains, and they will freeze at night. I’m going to ask my mum to make soup and send our spare blankets and lamps.”

Maariya is a Limehouse resident who has visited the Sukkah three times – “it’s a really good idea and it’s been so nice sitting here chilling out,” she said.  

The atmosphere at the Sukkah has been something else. The spirit and camaraderie has been brilliant and the linking of different communities has been a joy to watch.

The sukkah continued to stand until September 29. Events included an evening on the theme of faith, migration and urbanism, and a food and film night.

The structure has been dismantled but the memories have been captured on camera and video. “I’m pinching myself to make sure it’s true,” said Abbas, there will hopefully be a documentary about this project.”

We enjoyed the experience so much that we visited again the following day.

The kids loved it and I’ve encouraged them to write about their visit.  I also got to meet renowned landscape architect Heather Ring, but narrowly missed out on meeting my Facebook friend Rachel, a guest speaker on Sunday. “Funny to see pictures of you and Abbas together…we’re one degree away from meeting,” she messaged me later.

The Sukkah project is a project that is practically encouraging and advocating togetherness, openness and sharing.

During the week, the organizers assembled speakers, artists, religious teachers (of many faiths), activists, radicals and mischief makers to explore how these issues might look in a post-capitalist world.

In essence the East London Sukkah creates a temporary and ephemeral society to imagine and dream of alternative ways of living.

22-29 September 2010, Spitalfields City Farm, Buxton Street, London E1 5AR