Last week, 7th graders visited the 2nd Annual Chicago Sukkah Design Festival in North Lawndale, a neighborhood where the Chicago Jewish Community has deep roots and a rich history. The festival pairs community organizations with diverse architectural designers to design and build sukkot that amplify civic life. While there, they decorated the sukkot, toured Stone Temple Baptist Church—originally the First Romanian Congregation—and visited the Lawndale Pop Up Spot and Community Museum. 

We were able to pack a lot in during this field trip. Our students met with community leaders to hear how these Chicagoans are daily creating pathways to peace using their skills and gifts. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to engage with the Founding Director of One Lawndale Children’s Discovery Center, Leslie Mitchell Bond. She recounted how her family has played an integral role in the sustainability of the community. For the past century, they have been actively involved with Mt. Sinai hospital and ensuring everyone has access to healthcare, regardless of their ability to pay.  A particularly meaningful moment was singing Oseh Shalom under the One Lawndale Children’s Discover Center sukkah as a grade. 

Pastor Reshorna Fitzpatrick of Stone Temple Baptist Church spent time with our group and told us how she works to create spaces for the community to thrive (and garden!). Though the building became a church in 1954, the congregation has preserved the Torah ark and other Jewish symbols on the interior. It is invaluable for our students to learn firsthand from these important community leaders who are true menches.

The opportunity for our students to see the work of architects who create sukkot that will also be repurposed into permanent structures to support the community of North Lawndale, helps connect their work to authentic real-world experiences.  It’s an example of how to use Jewish ideas to make the world a better place. This experience served as an important opportunity for our students to study Jewish concepts in a different way than they might otherwise be able to do within the confines of our own hallways. There were also a few pretty serious giant Connect Four games that took place! We had beautiful weather and it was a great day had by all who were there.