Sukkah in the Heart of NYC

Chabad of Midtown’s Sukkahs in front of The NY Public Library on Fifth Avenue attracted thousands of visitors this Sukkos holiday.

Situated on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street – midway between Times Square and Grand Central Terminal – the sukkah is is a magnet for the thousands of passersby every day.

The lushly planted large wooden sukkah – decked with abundant cedar and bittersweet berry “schach” greenery – stands out in sharp relief against the white marble of the Beaux Arts New York Public Library. A steady stream of tourists, business people from surrounding office towers, Chol Hamoed trippers, and locals stop by.

People come in to make the blessings on the Lulav, enjoy a customary holiday meal and make the “Leshev BaSukkah” blessing. Some stop by just to revel in this charmingly outfitted al fresco booth.

Local residents who lack outdoor space at their city apartments rely on this Sukkah as a haven in which to celebrate the festival.

For sixteen years, Rabbi Yehoshua Metzger and Brocha Chana Metzger of Chabad Midtown have organized the construction of the Sukkah directly across Fifth Avenue from Chabad of Midtown at 509 Fifth Avenue.

A second Sukkah at Madison Square Park near 24th Street is run by Rabbi Levi Shmotkin of Chabad Young Professionals division.