Rabbi Zalman Bluming knows that in a fast-paced world, it can be difficult to find time for religion.
Bluming said he was trying to combat this problem with the Triangle’s first mobile sukkah, an open hut that symbolizes unity during the Jewish holiday Sukkot. The mobile sukkah is sponsored by Rohr Chabad, a Jewish organization on UNC and Duke campuses.
“Our goal is to make Judaism accessible and relevant,” Bluming said. “We want to make Judaism like Papa John’s. We are delivering spirituality to people’s doorstep and removing barriers.”
Bluming is planning to take the mobile sukkah to places where people might not otherwise have access to a stationary sukkah. The mobile sukkah traveled to senior centers, medical centers and college campuses in the area to bring the Sukkot celebration to everyone, according to a press release from Rohr Chabad.
It is this accessibility that draws students like Lily Broming, a member of the chabad and a UNC junior economics major, to the sukkah.
“It’s great to be able to stop by any time and they are like family,” Broming said.
The mobile sukkah had more than 100 participants in Chapel Hill Monday, said Bluming. The sukkah will travel to Cary on Wednesday and Raleigh on Thursday.
The mobile sukkah was set up in the bed of a pick-up truck. Participants climbed into the truck and received blessings given by the rabbi. They said prayers and blessed a small snack, Bluming said.
The sukkah is a large part of the weeklong Jewish holiday, Sukkot. The holiday is also known as the Festival of Booths.