St. John’s Presbyterian Church at 201 Arguello and 25 Lake Street, directly across from Congregation Emanu-El, will open its doors during the festival so fairgoers can come in and walk around, viewing the exquisite stained-glass windows. Coffee and tea will be served in the church.
The Emanu-El Arts Camp will set up an area in the courtyard where children can work on various arts and crafts projects related to Sukkot.
Gary Cohn, executive director of Congregation Emanu-El, adds, “The festival is also a way to give non-Jewish people an idea of what the Jewish culture is all about and make it more accessible to the broader community.” Cohn hopes that this will be a long and successful tradition. “We’d like the festival to grow over the years and offer a way for us to reach nonaffiliated Jews in the Bay Area.”
San Francisco’s Sukkot, the Festival of the Booths, is produced by Terry Pimsleur & Co.
Sponsors of the event include Black Mountain Spring Water, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California, the Jewish Community Federation and the Boston Beer Company, brewers of Samuel Adams and Longshot beers.