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JUC Community Marks Sukkot Amid Campus Celebrations and Study
JUC students and staff mark Sukkot with shared meals, campus celebrations, study, and visits to Jerusalem’s historic sites.
Jerusalem University College students and staff marked the Sukkot season in early October 2026 with community gatherings, study, and activities across Jerusalem. The October 2 edition of Friday AM described a week of celebration, departures, and opportunities to explore the city’s religious and historical sites.
On campus, community members built a sukkah that became a setting for sleepovers, prayer meetings, and study throughout the holiday. Several Hebrew students also joined Dr. Eldom Clem and his wife, Lydia, for a meal and Bible study in the couple’s sukkah.
The community celebrated Nicole’s 40th birthday with a surprise archaeology-themed gathering following a field study. The decorations included buckets of dirt and brushes, reflecting the occasion’s playful archaeological theme.
The week also brought temporary and longer-term farewells. Facilities manager Joe Arrigoni returned to the United States for six weeks to attend his daughter’s wedding, with James Holt stepping in during his absence. Katherine Hesler, a Lipscomb University doctoral student in archaeology who had lived on campus since January while researching in the Gezer lab, returned to Tennessee to complete her dissertation.
Alongside regular classes and studies, students visited the Dormition Abbey and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Others went to the Israel Museum to view the Great Isaiah Scroll, an ancient Hebrew manuscript discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The newsletter noted the significance of the rare public display for students living and studying in Jerusalem.
Campus gatherings continued through Vespers, including a reflection on the pilgrim inscription “Lord we have come” at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Another Vespers gathering was planned for the sukkah with reflections from Dr. Oliver Hersey.
Together, the celebrations, research opportunities, and shared experiences illustrated the community life that accompanies academic study at JUC.