{"id":76855,"date":"2023-10-04T07:19:11","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T12:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=76855"},"modified":"2023-10-04T07:19:45","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T12:19:45","slug":"succot-turns-new-york-city-into-a-playground-for-local-jews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/succot-turns-new-york-city-into-a-playground-for-local-jews\/","title":{"rendered":"Succot turns New York City into a playground for local Jews"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(<em>New York Jewish Week<\/em> via JTA) \u2014 On Monday, the Behfar family of Midwood hosted friends in their backyard, went out for ice cream and met up with friends again, this time for a barbecue and cocktails. On Tuesday, the family of six ventured to Staten Island, where they visited an arcade, a Lego store, a shooting range and a nearby Trader Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the week will bring visits to a theme park and a New Jersey mall.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76860\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76860\" class=\"wp-image-76860 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-300x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-1536x853.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-2048x1138.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/167;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76860\" class=\"wp-image-76860 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-300x167.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-1536x853.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Biking-2048x1138.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-76860\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A young couple cycles through Central Park on the first day of Chol Hamoed Succot 2023. (Jackie Hajdenberg)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s an ambitious staycation itinerary for any family, and for the Behfars, it\u2019s imbued with religious significance. The fall festival of Succot, which began on Friday evening, contains five intermediate days, called \u201cChol HaMoed\u201d in Hebrew, during which Jewish religious prohibitions on work during the holiday are relaxed but when many Orthodox day schools are on vacation.<\/p>\n<p>For the Behfar family and many others across the five boroughs and beyond, that means a week of family time in honor of the holiday. To make it manageable, parents Karen and Aharon Behfar have set at least one ground rule for their four sons.&nbsp;\u201cThe rule is everyone has to go together,\u201d Karen Behfar said. \u201cYou can\u2019t have, let\u2019s say, my two older boys saying, \u2018I don\u2019t want to go to that trip.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This year, the five days of Chol HaMoed began Monday and end Friday \u2014 time many Orthodox families spend treking around New York City, frequenting everything from well-trodden cultural institutions like the American Museum of Natural History to amusement parks and other attractions farther afield.<\/p>\n<p>And the city and its environs change for them. To accommodate the increased numbers of Orthodox vacationers, the city\u2019s ferry schedule changes, a mall in New Jersey offers private, gender-segregated swimming, and concerts of religious Jewish music are staged in Coney Island, Crown Heights and Newark.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a father, my wife and I need to spend time [on] Chol Hamoed figuring out what to do with the kids,\u201d Abraham Bree, a marketing executive and father of six, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy 13-year-old wants more fun, exciting adventure stuff. My [twin] two-year-olds don\u2019t want to go on roller coasters,\u201d he added. \u201cObviously you wouldn\u2019t want to go on a Chol Hamoed trip where the oldest kid is moping because it\u2019s a bunch of Chuck E. Cheese things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The holiday\u2019s religious restrictions make that planning process even harder. Jewish law mandates that all meals be eaten in a succah, the temporary huts built for the weeklong holiday that recall the ancient Israelites\u2019 sojourn in the desert and emphasize the need for divine protection. Orthodox families also prefer attractions where certified-kosher food is on offer. (Passover also has four intermediate days in New York that generally coincide with spring break at the city\u2019s public schools, and when strict religious restrictions also apply.)<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76861\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76861\" class=\"wp-image-76861 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-1024x569.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"569\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-1536x853.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-2048x1138.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/569;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76861\" class=\"wp-image-76861 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-1024x569.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"569\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-1536x853.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/10-2-23-Chol-Hamoed-Boating-2-2048x1138.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-76861\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rowing boats in Central Park is one of many popular Chol Hamoed activities for Jewish families in New York City. (Jackie Hajdenberg)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Those requirements have spawned several online guides directing people to attractions that offer succahs and kosher eateries. Many of those places are Jewish-themed, but some, like American Dream Mall in New Jersey, is built for a broader audience but caters to Orthodox Jews \u2014 with kosher offerings in the food court and more than one succah. The mall also features days when its huge water park is open exclusively to men or women \u2014 a policy that accords with Orthodox Judaism\u2019s restrictions on immodest dress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome families are very, very planned out,\u201d Karen Behfar said. \u201cAnd sometimes we just like to go in the car and drive and find different places.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To help families structure their week, Bree created an artificial intelligence-powered website called CanWeGoNow.com, which generates suggestions for family-friendly activities by zip code. The website is named after the refrain he heard from his children upon returning from synagogue each morning during the holiday\u2019s intermediate days. He said 20,000 people had already used the website this week, as opposed to hundreds on a typical week.<\/p>\n<p>But the first model of the website presented a problem for its Orthodox Jewish clientele \u2014 it suggested families visit St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral, near Rockefeller Center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow, if you\u2019re Jewish and it\u2019s Chol Hamoed, it shouldn\u2019t be suggesting churches,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had to put in parameters that would eliminate any places of other religions, we had to put in parameters that would eliminate anything more, adult-themed, shall we say \u2014 because, again, trying to be family-friendly in the spirit of the holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One popular destination for Orthodox staycationers is Governor\u2019s Island, which is evident from the city\u2019s ferry schedule, which has added routes to the island from destinations in Brooklyn. The ferry\u2019s website homepage advertised a special schedule this week \u201cto accommodate higher ridership during the Sukkot holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Often, families will choose to entertain at home, hosting people in their succah or visiting their friends\u2019. Aharon Behfar, who serves as the rabbi of a Sephardic synagogue, teaches Torah classes in his family\u2019s succah, and will hire musicians to entertain the guests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe realized it\u2019s enjoyable just to find things to do just really around the house and just enjoy each other as opposed to going outside,\u201d said Karen Behfar. \u201cThat realization was awesome for me, for the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And as Chol HaMoed began, others were still figuring their itineraries out. Alisa and David Lasky and their three children, from North Woodmere, Long Island, spent the first day of Chol Hamoed rowing boats in Central Park.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe crashed a lot,\u201d Alisa Lasky said Monday. None of them had ever rowed in the park before, and the family was glad the weather was good. She said they had a lot of fun.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe might go to Six Flags tomorrow,\u201d Lasky said. \u201cNot everyone agrees. We might do ax throwing, or Top Golf.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Succot%20turns%20New%20York%20City%20into%20a%20playground%20for%20local%20Jews\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":76860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[8790,8795,8788,494],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76855"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76855"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76862,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76855\/revisions\/76862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}