Sukkah City
In 2010, Reboot launched an architectural design competition and work of installation-art titled Sukkah City. More than 600 entries were received, and a panel of architects and art critics selected a dozen winners. The 12 pieces were constructed in Union Square Park in New York City for a three-day celebration. The project each represented a symbolic reason the sukkah existed, including fragility, humility, and a connection to nature.
The Jewish holiday of Sukkot calls for the building of a dwelling described in the Torah, which is utilized in the week long celebration. Commemorating the Exodus from Ancient Egypt, these temporary structures conjure the 40 years the Children of Israel spent wandering in the desert.
The idea to radically transform the sukkah while following religious proscriptions was the idea of Reboot Network member Joshua Foer, a writer and journalist, and Roger Bennett, a Reboot co-founder.
Sukkah City has inspired a movement of experimental Sukkah projects around the globe, from San Diego to Sydney, from St. Louis to Toronto. Now, for the first time, Reboot and Sukkah City project creators have a set of materials that can help future creatives and communities who want to create their own version of Sukkah City. Learn more here.
Joshua Foer
Journalist and AuthorJoshua Foer was born in Washington, DC in 1982 and lives in Brookline, MA. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, National Geographic, Esquire, Slate, Outside, the New York Times, and other publications. Moonwalking with Einstein, an international best seller published in 34 languages, is his first book.
Josh is the co-founder of the online guide to the world’s wonders & curiosities, Atlas Obscura, and co-author of the #1 NYT best seller Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders. He is also the co-founder of the non-profit Sefaria, and of the design competition Sukkah City.
Roger Bennett
FounderRoger Bennett is a writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and co-host of NBC’s Men In Blazers show, which has become one of the most listened to football platforms in the world. He is also the host of HBO’s Succession Podcast.