Chabad LES Constructs Sukkah on Foundation of Stagnant Allen Street Hotel

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The Allen Street Hotel is nowhere near completion. Nevertheless, its northern flank has taken a turn toward the divine.

In a stroke of ingenuity, congregants from the Lower East Side chapter of Chabad transformed the tattered sidewalk plywood  fence into a makeshift Sukkah. The concrete platform – inactive for ages – is essentially the backyard of 79 Rivington Street. Work on the traditional dwelling began Saturday evening, just as Hell Square was gearing up for an influx of partiers.

Chabad relocated to 79 Rivington from its longtime perch in the Blue Moon Hotel during the summertime. As before, the new prayer room is temporary; Misrahi Realty signage still holds court until something “better” comes along. The owner of this building is Ben Zhavian (aka DAB Group), the same dude behind the long-stagnant Allen Street Hotel, who is likewise being foreclosed upon. In fact, this is the same property which hit a rough patch of controversy with Tristan Eaton and the Little Italy Street Art Project last spring. Zhavian essentially forced project organizer Wayne Rada to erase the ad-art.

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Meanwhile, other sukkot have popped up around the neighborhood. For instance, the Lutowisker Synagogue on Delancey Street. However, none outside Seward Park on Grand Street as in years past.

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot began last night and goes through next Sunday. It’s a week-long festival that commemorates the fall harvest and the wandering of ancient Israelites in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.

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The Lutowisker Synagogue on Delancey St.