I was debating with my brother whether they had sukkah hops in Europe, and failed to find a good answer via Google Books or Scholar.
- Is it a specifically American institution?
- What's the first recorded sukkah hop?
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3Perhaps you should consider adding the definition of a "sukkah hop" to your question. I, for one, had never heard of it.– HodofHodSep 22, 2013 at 18:28
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3@HodofHod Sukkah hop, as I know it, is a custom for mostly children to go from sukkah to sukkah along a designated route (at 4 PM we go to the Kohens, then to the Levis, then the schwartes, etc). Often the kids are given candy at each sukkah they visit.– Ze'ev misses MonicaSep 22, 2013 at 19:41
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It was a Top-40 hit in the mid-1980s.– Seth JSep 23, 2013 at 15:06
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1@Ze'evFelsen Is it important that it's first kohanim and then leviim? :-P– Charles KoppelmanSep 23, 2013 at 18:24
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1@CharlesKoppelman, it was of course intentional, but not essential.– Ze'ev misses MonicaSep 25, 2013 at 1:36
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1 Answer
What I'd seen around the blogosphere was that it was an innovation by "Rabbi" (he was never formally ordained) Shraga Feivel Mendolowitz intended for Torah UMesorah community day schools that were open on Chol Hamoed (probably in the 1960s, I assume). Some of the students were not observant and didn't have a sukkah at home, so they'd take class trips to see people's sukkahs.
At some point later it morphed from a school activity for the less-affiliated to a social, on-yom-tov, activity for the more-affiliated.
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Very interesting reason. I have to check if my elementary school was a "Torah Umesorah" school. But, as they were a huge Jewish influence esp. in the 60's, this was the exact reason as to why my elementary yeshiva was open during Hol Hamo'ed Succot but closed during Hol Hamo'ed Pesach. Actually, the main reason for Pesach was related to chametz logistics. They couldn't serve school lunch as they weren't going to kasher the kitchen. I gather that you're not a 60's bochur?– DanFJun 7, 2018 at 16:01