What the Helen of Troy is This? (Reader Request)

“Dear PoP,

I don’t know that this necessarily qualifies as one of your Helen of Troy but it definitely surprised me when I saw it. The attached pictures are of a wooden sculpture directly across from Sixth and I Synagogue (on I Street) in a parking lot. These were taken yesterday, but I have no idea if it is still there or how long it will be there for or even why it was there. Figured it might interest you though.”

Nice, this is one of the few I (think) I know the answer to. The tip is the last line in the description below – Sukkah City.

It seems to be an artistic interpretation of a sukkah. From Wikipedia:

“A sukkah (Hebrew: סוכה‎, plural, סוכות, sukkot; sukkoth, often translated as “booth”) is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes. The Book of Vayyiqra (Leviticus) describes it as a symbolic wilderness shelter, commemorating the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness they inhabited after they were freed from slavery in Egypt.[1] It is common for Jews to eat, sleep and otherwise spend time in the sukkah. In Judaism, Sukkot is considered a joyous occasion and is referred to in Hebrew as Yom Simchateinu (the day of our rejoicing) or Z’man Simchateinu (the time of our rejoicing), but the sukkah itself symbolizes the frailty and transience of life and its dependence on God.”