Barbara Lerman-Golomb is the author of the new children's picture book The Sukkah Hop. She is also an educational content creator, and an environmental advocate.
Q: What inspired you to write The Sukkah Hop?
A: Sukkot was a natural choice–a happy harvest holiday that takes us outdoors to connect with our ancient, agrarian roots.
Years ago I trained as an experiential environmental educator. As Barbara WOW (Wonders of the World), I led eco awareness programs in schools and summer camps, encouraging kids to be shomerei adamah, caretakers of the Earth. I’ve always enjoyed the cozy feeling of being surrounded by the greens in a sukkah.
When I thought about writing a holiday book, sweet memories came to me of going sukkah hopping with my kids when they were little, moving from sukkah to sukkah, of the different activities we engaged in along the way, and how each sukkah was unique.
More inspiration came from an event a few years back. A group called Reboot launched Sukkah City in New York City, a design competition featuring installation-art. Twelve sukkahs were constructed in Union Square Park for a three-day celebration. The focus was on fragility, humility, and a connection to nature.
The arts are a huge part of my life, particularly visual arts, and so I was thrilled by the high-concept designs and varieties of natural materials used.
Q: What do you think Talia Drigues’s illustrations add to the story?
A: Talia’s art adds a wonderful sense of whimsy and evokes the joy and energy of moving from sukkah to sukkah that I wanted to convey through my rhyming text.
Her illustrations elevated the story with the variety of family groupings and its playfulness, especially the cat and dog motif. This was a particularly fun addition. It just so happens when I was around 10 years old, we adopted a dog on Sukkot that I named Sooki!
Q: What are some of your own favorite traditions for Sukkot?
A: Getting creative by decorating with elements of nature and art. While each sukkah has its own identity, at the same time, it is a communal place to bring people together and of course to eat!
For the matriarchs of my foodie family, the sukkah has been a place to literally “share a meal.” My great-grandmother, Anna Bernstein Freed, aka Bubba Freed, famously made trays of gefilte fish to feed the elders of the synagogue who slept in the sukkah for the week of Sukkot.
She left strict instructions in her will that after her passing, my Nana, Myne Cohen Freed, pick up the task! Despite the fact that she had four daughters of her own, she knew my grandmother, whose parents owned a kosher restaurant, would carry out her wishes and get the job done!
Years ago I shared this anecdote in an article I wrote for The Forward, “Why Gefilte Fish is the Perfect Symbol for Sukkot.” My matriarchs (and patriarchs) lived tikkun olam, the value of repairing the world.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: I hope they are left with the overall message that Sukkot is a fun and inclusive holiday, and that they will have a greater appreciation for nature and our connection to the fall harvest, food, and farming.
I also have a background as an edutainment materials designer, so I hope through this lively journey they learn traditions of the holiday (and for an added bonus they get to do some counting too!). I am also creating a dance/hop to make the reading experience interactive.
I am told it’s the only book on this topic for young readers. I hope it will inspire their families and friends to go sukkah hopping!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Some of my current works in progress include: a Hanukkah board book with an enlightening twist, a tale about a young Jewish seamstress who ends up sewing a glorious gown for the royal Tsarina Romanov (loosely based on a true story), a book about a library that becomes a climate change hero, an art history mystery, and two picture book biographies about family members who accomplished groundbreaking things.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: It’s wonderful that Sukkot embodies the value of hachnasat orchim, welcoming the stranger. Years ago I was interviewed by the magazine Lilith for an article, “Eco-Ushpizin: Women Take on the Environment,” about the tradition of inviting in mystical guests—known as ushpzin into the sukkah.
Two guests I invited were Rachel Carson, whose landmark book Silent Spring helped launch the modern environmental movement, and my mother, Etta Freed Lerman. As was passed down from our matriarchs, everyone was welcome at my mother’s table.
I am thankful every day for my mother, who was my biggest champion. She instilled her own love of writing and books in me. A key reason she and my father chose the house I grew up in is because it was walking distance to our local library.
I also want to extend my gratitude to Harold Grinspoon and PJ Library for all they have done to enhance Jewish life for families across the globe, and personally for their support and encouragement in my efforts to share stories.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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