What is UshpiZoom?

UshpiZoom is a creative project for Sukkot that you can do together with your family, students, youth movements, or alone.

Who would you love to (virtually) invite to your Sukkah this year?

During the festival of Sukkot, Jews are commanded, according to the Torah, to leave their permanent home and live in a temporary dwelling (Sukkah) for seven days.

Every year, during Sukkot, we invite virtual “guests” to join us in our Sukkah. We call these guests “Ushpizin”. This is a Sukkot tradition started by the Kabbalists, in around the 16^th century.

These guests might be Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or Rabbi Abraham Heschel; prominent Jewish women or men; or people of significance from our past and present.

COVID Time seems like the perfect time to embrace this tradition!

This Sukkot, we’re collaborating with the Jewish Agency’s Shlichut Institute and with Hanoch Piven – award-winning Israeli illustrator, educator, and seasoned creative instigator – in a global UshpiZoom initiative.

Piven’s artwork reinvents the meaning and use of everyday objects, forging associations between these and the subject of his creation. We’ll be using the “Piven method” to create portraits of people we’d like to host in our Sukkah.

Who can take part in UshpiZoom?

Everyone can take part, free of charge. You don’t need any prior experience or special creative talents!

How can you take part in UshpiZoom?

All you need to do is follow these five simple steps:

• Think who you’d like to invite as your guest this Sukkot.
• Gather objects from around your house – and start creating their portrait!
• Take a picture of your “guest” and post it on social media @jewishagency @Makomisrl #ushpizoom
• Send us an email to makom@jafi.org with “UshpiZoom” in the subject line to register for our global UshpiZoom meeting with Hanoch Piven on Wednesday 7 October @7pm Israel time (6 pm Europe/ 9 am PST / 12 pm EST).
• Use the Zoom link that we send you to join the UshpiZoom event and share your creation with others from around the world!

Watch the video for inspiration >>

See you in UshpiZoom!