Jewish communities celebrate Sukkot with street dancing

Communities in Crown Heights and West Ridge held celebrations for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, featuring music and dancing in the streets.

In Crown Heights, the annual Simchas Beis Hashoeiva celebration on Kingston Avenue drew tens of thousands of participants. The event, which has been organized for over 40 years by Rabbi Yisroel Shemtov, featured various musicians and singers during the Chol Hamoed period.

In West Ridge, Congregation Bnei Ruven hosted its 32nd annual ‘Dancing in the Streets’ event. The celebration involved closing a block of Whipple Street to traffic, allowing community members to dance in circles to live Hebrew music. Rabbi Baruch Hertz described the holiday as a time of unity and joy intended to bring the community together.