East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue members decorate South Wodford Sukkah with fruit, veg and leaves for start of Sukkot

Members of the East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue celebrated the start of Sukkot by decorating a Sukkah, a temporary outdoor structure, in South Woodford, with fruit, vegetables, branches and leaves.

Merle Muswell, 58, Buckhurst Hill, a community volunteer, said: “It’s a big thing. It’s a welcoming festival for Jews and non-Jews alike. The festival involves children a lot in the way they create the building.

“It’s a time of sharing. It always is an enjoyable and exciting experience. It’s attended by many families. It brings all the generations together because we are a new community.”

Rabbi Harry Jacobi carried out a traditional blessing of wine and challah, a type of bread, in the Sukkah.