“Before the war, we had an old neighbor. Altman was his name,” Galina told me.“
Each year as the weather worsened he would build a hut in our joined courtyard”.
“I had no idea what the purpose was at the time. But he would get all excited once it was built and sing lively songs.”
“All of us children would run around the hut dancing to his songs.”
“Sadly, Mr. Altman passed away during the war. And that was the last time the hut was built in our yard.”
“Only years later, in the 90’s, once I started attending synagogue, did I realize that it was actually a Sukkah, and our old friend Altman was celebrating Sukkos.”
“It’s been 80 years since our house has felt the holiday of Sukkos.”
“This year, I couldn’t come to the synagogue to celebrate, but you brought Sukkos back to our house.”
“Back to Altman’s house.”
Source: Rostov Rabbi
