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200 show up for Jewish “Pizza in the Hut” in Richmond

Around 200 people took in The Bayit synagogue’s Sukkot Carnival pizza in the hut event on Wednesday.

Around 200 people took in The Bayit synagogue’s Sukkot Carnival pizza in the hut event on Wednesday.

According to The Bayit’s president, Michael Sachs, there was also a plethora of politicians – some elected and some hoping to be – in attendance at the celebration, a week-long Jewish holiday to mark the Israelites’ pilgrimage, led by Moses and at the will of God, to free themselves from slavery in Egypt.

As part of the holiday, traditional “sukkahs” are built outside, typically made of wood and bamboo and covered with palm leaves. It is a temporary shelter that signifies the time when Israelites lived in the wilderness.

At The Bayit, however, a modern sukkah was constructed out of tarp over a wooden structure, so that members and guests could gather outside to eat and share stories.

The inaugural recipient of the Marc’s Mensches scholarship award, which offers $1,000 towards Jewish education, was also presented to Taya Benson, who raised $7,000 for the BC SPCA.”

The Bayit holds weekly services and prayers for the orthodox community and lays claim to the only kosher Mikvah (spiritual bath) in Richmond.

Richmond has a small but vibrant Jewish community. In 2011, National Household Survey showed 2,885 Jews in the city.

In Richmond, fewer folks are speaking Hebrew in their homes, according to recent census data. In 2016, only 270 people claimed Hebrew as their mother tongue in Richmond and just 120 speak it at home. In 2006, 180 people claimed to speak Hebrew at home.