To the dearest friends of the Skirball Cultural Center:
On behalf of the entire Skirball community, I send wishes for a sweet and healthy new year to all who celebrate.
This time of reflection and renewal is entangled, as every day of the last year has been, with the grief and tragedy of the ongoing hostage crisis and war in the Middle East. The October 7 attacks were seismic. Immediately a tidal wave of violence crashed down on the families of hostages, soldiers called to serve, and all those trapped in the war zones. Those of us safe from physical harm were still caught in the tumbling whitewater of antisemitism and a divisive politic.
My father’s counsel is essential to me and throughout this year he has helped me understand how to make myself useful and the Skirball a place of comfort in these uncharted waters. But it’s his advice from a different time that I am thinking of now: We were on vacation in Hawaii. I was young, maybe ten years old. There was a big swell from a storm, and we were body surfing. A set was building in front of me, and I got scared. I reached for my father’s hand. Before the wave was on us, he told me, “You will need your arm to swim. Find the sun and swim to it.” He took my hand off his, and the waves came.
When it comes to our biggest fears, losses, and challenges, there are no short cuts. You have to go through them. Community, memory, kindness, learning—our values light the way. In this tradition the Skirball is marking the start of a new Jewish year with a new form of welcome: a month-long invitation to participate in the traditions of Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival. Our community sukkah—the temporary structure where Jews who celebrate Sukkot welcome guests and share meals—will be open to all October 8 through November 3. This year's community sukkah combines burnt wood harvested from burned homes in Kibbutz Beeri with a living garden. It bears the scars of the past. It nourishes new life. It is open to all. Art, food, conversation, meditation—whether you celebrate this holiday or not, I hope we can be a source of light and joy for you.
I hope to see you under the sukkah. L’Shana Tovah!
Jessie Kornberg
President and CEO
Skirball Cultural Center
October 8–November 3, visit the Skirball's community sukkah—installed in Founders Courtyard behind the main lobby—and share in the abundance of the season with Sukkot festival offerings for all ages.