Israeli-Arab couple builds a sukkah, hoping to destroy stereotypes

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Published: 7 October 2017

Last updated: 4 March 2024

TO ACCOMMODATE THE HUGE number of guests they’re expecting over the holiday, these two Israeli dentists have built a super-sized sukkah. And in keeping with the time-honoured Jewish tradition, they got to work on it as soon as the Yom Kippur fast ended.

Khalil and Reem Bakly, however, aren’t Jewish. They’re Muslim Arabs. This is their first sukkah ever, and there’s good reason to believe it’s the only temporary outdoor hut of this type being built in Israel this year by an Arab family.

This week they are inviting Jews and Arabs from near and far to join them for food, music, laughs and discussion at their beautiful, “100 percent kosher” sukkah, as they like to boast.

FULL STORY This Israeli-Arab couple is building a sukkah, hoping to destroy stereotypes (Haaretz)
AND SEE: In Japan, observing Sukkot requires creativity, and a bit of smuggling (Times of Israel)