Museum Once Again Builds its Sukkah-on-the-Roof
Special Art Installation by Local Artist Celebrates Louisiana’s Unique Ecology
New Orleans, September 8, 2026 – In celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (September 25th - Oct 2nd), the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (MSJE) is building a sukkah on the museum’s rooftop. The museum invites the public to visit the sukkah, learn about the holiday, and participate in a variety of public programs during the festive week.
Sukkot celebrates the fruits of the fall harvest and commemorates the temporary dwellings the Israelites lived in while wandering in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. This autumnal holiday includes building and decorating temporary outdoor structures at Jewish houses and synagogues and enjoying festive meals with family and friends. Sukkot is a holiday of hospitality. Jewish people invite not only family and friends, but also the proverbial stranger and the community to spend time in the sukkah. This ancient holiday celebrates the fruits of the harvest, and sharing the joys of that bounty with our New Orleans neighbors highlights the importance of community.
“Sukkot is the pinnacle of the Southern Jewish experience,” says Public Programs Manager Lizzi Meister. “It’s a holiday that calls on us to gather around the table for a good meal, warm hospitality, and the celebration of life. It’s the best of both worlds, Jewish and Southern.”
The museum’s 2026 sukkah will feature a special art installation by local artist Hannah Chalew. Chalew’s work focuses on climate change, historical legacies, and building a sustainable future. "I’m thrilled to be creating an art installation at the MSJE sukkah that honors my personal sukkah traditions and brings in the ethos of my studio practice,” says Chalew, “Celebrating the abundance of our Southern Louisiana ecology while sitting with the fragility of this landscape in a changing climate."
The Sukkot festivities kick off with the member-exclusive “Shabbat Sips in the Sukkah” happy hour on Friday, September 25th. On Wednesday, September 30th, Hannah Chalew will lead a Louisiana Lulav workshop. Participants will make their own lulavs using local flora. Spots are limited.
In addition, during Sukkot week, the museum will welcome its downtown neighbors for brown-bag “lunch & lounges” in the sukkah. Drinks and desserts will be provided by the museum.
The rooftop Sukkah will be accessible to all museum ticket holders via elevator during regular museum hours, with free guided tours offered hourly.
Visit http://msje.org/public-programs/sukkahontheroof to register for MSJE’s Sukkot events.
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