Museum Builds Rooftop Sukkah in Partnership with unCommon Construction
- Aug 4, 2025
- 2 min read
New Orleans, September 30, 2025 – In honor of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (October 6-13) the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (MSJE) has partnered with unCommon Construction to build a traditional Sukkah on the museum’s rooftop. The museum’s Sukkah will serve as both a free communal gathering space and as a venue for a weeklong slate of structured programming.
During this annual harvest festival, Jewish households and communities traditionally construct a Sukkah: a hut-like outdoor structure for socializing, dining, and hosting guests. Each year, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (MSJE), located in New Orleans’s busy warehouse district, transforms their building’s rooftop into a Sukkah with a view of downtown New Orleans.
“Sukkot is a microcosm of what MSJE is about, because it lets us show off our Southern hospitality through Jewish tradition,” says public programs manager Lizzi Meister. “It’s a holiday about welcoming others into your home, feeding friends and strangers, and being outside together. It brings together the best of our two cultures.”
The nonprofit organization unCommon Construction, with whom MSJE has partnered to build this year’s Sukkah, empowers youth through construction apprenticeships. By engaging in a collaborative build process, high school juniors and seniors earn wages, apprenticeship credit, an equity award, and experience.
Says Ross Harmon, unCommon’s construction manager, “This is a great project with lovely views, and a great museum. Any time I can do projects with the community, like this, is my favorite. Plus, the apprentices had a great time!”
This year, MSJE will host a variety of Sukkot events aimed at museum members, the local Jewish community, and the broader New Orleans community. Their Sukkot festivities will commence with a members-only “Sips in the Sukkah” happy hour on October 6th. On October 8th, the museum will partner with young adult affinity groups from Shir Chadash synagogue and Gates of Prayer Congregation to sponsor a Young Adult Happy Hour, open to all 21+. Finally, on October 11th, MSJE will hold a “Harvest Havdalah in the Sukkah.” Combining a traditional end-of-week ritual with fall-themed activities and snacks, this Havdalah event is geared towards both Jewish and non-Jewish families and communities.
In addition to these one-time programs, the museum’s Sukkah will be open during the week of Sukkot for workday “Lunch and Lounge” sessions: office workers and local residents are invited to bring lunch to the Sukkah and enjoy beverages and desserts provided by the museum.
Finally, the rooftop Sukkah will be open to all museum ticketholders during regular museum hours. Museum visitors will be invited to spend time in the Sukkah, and will have the option to explore the Sukkah with free guided tours throughout the holiday.
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