Is succos in Israel as great as people make it out to be?

amother

Ginger

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 6:48 pm

I dont think there has ever been a year so packed with tourists. I live in JM and I have never seen anything like it. Its a zechus to be here but I dont think being here as a visitor right now for most is the most pleasurable vacation I can think of.
I myself am planning to stay away from the crowds as much as possible.

amother

Gladiolus

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 7:17 pm

I am actually there now and have been for a number of years (my in laws live here). There are many cheap and good deals now last minute for apartments.
There is really nothing like it! I remember even as a girl coming here with my parents, I remember going out with friends erev succos and you see everyone building their succahs nevermind that's it's 1am. Popping into every single simchas beis hashoava possible from the sefardi ones to the most ultra orthodox. And being by the kotel for bircas kohanim.
This year I made sure to travel in Sunday before Yom Kippur because I wanted to go to the kotel before Yom Kippur, we went on Monday and it was so uplifting.
Romema is a mad house, it's so packed that you can barely walk on the pavement.
I guess it all depends what matters to you.

amother

Honeysuckle

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 7:24 pm

It’s so funny that it just became a thing among the RW. When I was in Stern 25 years ago it was well known that ‘everyone’ goes to Israel for Sukkos and Florida for mid winter. To their own apartments in both of course. Took a while to catch on it seems.

amother

Anemone

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 8:30 pm

amother Honeysuckle wrote:

amother

Hosta

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 8:31 pm

It's a beautiful experience that you can't get anywhere else. I don't need theme parks and water parks to make it beautiful-it just is.
Going to the kosel, seeing all those people! Eating glida and pizza on busy streets, geula, it's such an experience!

Is it a must? no! But hopefully for those who go they should have a nice time and enjoy it

Another mom

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 9:00 pm

Guess what? I NEVER heard of anyone coming for Succos until I was 20 in Stern! Surprised

Only one (wealthy, I assume) girl went with her family. It was early '80s. My first thought was _Wow, going for such a short time?? I only heard of going for the summer or for the year. (BH I spent the year in Seminary before that).
How things have changed!!
True the avira is great... I live in EY. Hoshana Raba is amazing by the Kotel. And in NY we didn't even have our own Sukka.
But I doubt I'd go if I wasn't living here unless I was quite rich and didn't mind cooking on vacation. To each his own and Bruchim Habaim!

amother

Offwhite

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 9:09 pm

amother Ginger wrote:

This actually brings tears of joy to my eyes. It’s almost the fulfillment of the nevuah:
כה אמר, אדוניי יהוה, עוד זאת אידרש לבית-ישראל, לעשות להם: ארבה אותם כצאן, אדם. לח כצאן קודשים, כצאן ירושלים במועדיה--כן תהיינה הערים החורבות, מלאות צאן אדם; וידעו, כי-אני יהוה

amother

Buttercup

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 9:30 pm

I went with my family a number of years ago. I have a small family and rented an apartment in geula. It was nice but both my husband and I agreed that we wouldn’t do it again so fast. The second day of the first and last days feel very disorienting. The buses are running… not a Yom Tov vibe at all! Eretz Yisroel is beautiful, sukkos is beautiful…. But together? Before moshiach comes…. I’ll stay here where we all have the same calendar and keep two days Yom Tov.

amother

Cyclamen

Thu, Oct 06 2022, 9:37 pm

I went as a teenager with my family. Its really beautiful and it is magical. I actually loved the crowds on Yt. The kosel, geulah.... All crowded but thats part of the beauty I think
chol hamoed we tried to find out of the box ideas where it wouldnt be so crowded

amother

Dahlia

Fri, Oct 07 2022, 1:28 am

amother Gladiolus wrote:

It's so funny that this is what you remember as an amazing part of your experience here.

One of my kids came out late last night after being woken up by sukkah-building. I was not pleased. To me the 1am sukkah-building is something rude and inconsiderate which I know is temporary and therefore I keep quiet and don't report it as I would a 1am concert. I don't see it as something unique, amazing, inspiring, or anything else. Just as an annoying pain.

But maybe that's because I'm not here on vacation, we have work and school and such interruptions are real interruptions. Maybe if I were a tourist on vacation with nothing to do the next day, I'd think it was cool.

amother

Pear

Fri, Oct 07 2022, 1:36 am

I think your friend is telling the truth. In her circumstances id prefer to stay home. I live in Israel when I was single I was in yerushalyim and I lived the crowds and the sukkos atmosphere. Now, I have young kids I find it stressful. I can imagine flying here with jet lagged kids, living in small accommodation and having to cook would not make it fun. But if you don't need to cook and have older kids and are the kind of person that likes crowds it is probably a great experience.

Last edited by amother on Fri, Oct 07 2022, 1:37 am; edited 1 time in total

heidi

Fri, Oct 07 2022, 1:36 am

amother Royalblue wrote:

We did it a number of years ago because we had a very special simcha right after Sukkos. Our kids had a good time but we were on a budget and squeezed into a very small apartment and it was a strain on our SB

My friend just bought an apartment in Yerushalayim and is bringing all her children for chag. She is working like a dog, cooking and cleaning in an apartment that she had never seen before, trying to shop in unfamiliar crowded stores.
Eating glida in Geula can be done any time of the year. Not sure what makes it worth it for whole families to blow thousands of dollars for a cramped chag when they could be in their beautiful spacious chul houses and sukkas and come on vacation at a time when they could go to restaurants and not have the constant cooking eating preparing pressure

amother

Seagreen

Fri, Oct 07 2022, 1:42 am

amother Dahlia wrote:

גזל שינה is most certainly not cool and in the name of a מצווה such as building the סוכה, it is very wrong.

pinkpeonies

Fri, Oct 07 2022, 1:47 am

Rappel wrote:

Y'all are giving me a desire to go to Yerushalayim right now Smile

it must be like how it was in the real shalosh regalim - everyone coming in, everyone hosting! I can't wait to see that!

Best comment!
And yes it’s crowded, but not everyone is shallow and going to ey because others are doing it. Ey is home, and where else would I want to come home to for yontif? I’m sorry that some of you who live here feel like you have a monopoly over the land. I lived here too in my early marriage and I dream of ey. I’m jealous of those who get to live the simple day to day life of kedusha.
The literal answer of why I am here with my family for succos? I came to connect with Hashem, the land, my family, and myself.

amother

Dahlia

Fri, Oct 07 2022, 2:09 am

pinkpeonies wrote:

No one said anything about a monopoly and the bolded was just rude and mean.

You want to make aliya, come on over. No reason to be nasty to those who took the leap and made the sacrifice, just because you are (by your own admission) jealous.

amother

Crocus

Fri, Oct 07 2022, 2:10 am

amother Honeysuckle wrote:

Sorry to disappoint you that the right wing is just catching on now. It’s been a “thing” with the right wing for years now too. I went to Israel for sukkos with my yeshivish family and friends numerous times over twenty years ago.
As a young kallah as well.
A lot of my friends own apartments in Yerushalayim just so they can go sukkos. Some yeshivish people hold huge Simcha’s beis hashoaivos with big singers in their rachavia or arzei apartments.
If you were in the “know” you would know that people are saying that this year its a big “thing” because it’s the first really clear year since COVID. Everyone who couldn’t really go for the past couple of years, can finally go again.
A bunch of my relatives and literally half my block- no exaggeration went this year, but sukkos in Yerushalayim was always a thing.