The Jewish tradition of setting up sukkahs next to residential buildings is returning to Polish cities. It is connected with Sukkot, which began on Monday evening and is known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths. In Poland, the name “Kuczki” has also become popular – it refers to a temporary home, which during Sukkot becomes a place of prayer, meals, and meetings for many Jews.
The great comeback of tabernacles
In Warsaw, a sukkah was erected next to the Jewish Community Center building on Chmielna Street. The Jewish Community of Krakow also erected its sukkah, a symbol of a temporary home and belonging.
During Sukkot, a small hut or tent made of branches and natural materials becomes a place for spending time together, praying, and rejoicing. Some Jews even decide to spend the night in the hut, thus referring to the Israelites who, after leaving Egypt, lived in temporary shelters in the desert.
In Poland before World War II, the kuczka became the local equivalent of the hut (suki) — often built on balconies, porches, or as an extension attached to a wall.
Today, building sukkahs next to synagogues and Jewish community centers has become a gesture of remembrance and dialogue – a reminder of the presence of Jews in Polish history and culture.
Evidence of Jewish presence in Polish cities
Traces of former sukkahs can be found not only in Warsaw and Krakow, but also in other cities with a rich Jewish history – in Łódź, Lublin, and Będzin. In Łódź, sukkahs have been preserved in the outbuildings of tenement houses, including those on Piotrkowska Street, while in Lublin they can be seen on Podwale and Olejna Streets.
These small architectural forms, often attached to the walls of tenement houses, are a unique testimony to the everyday life of Polish Jews – their holidays, traditions, and religious presence in the fabric of the city.