As Israeli parents faced the challenge of finding activities for their kids during the short school vacation between Yom Kippur and Succot, Jerusalem Hillel addressed this need by staging a family festival in the Hebrew University Botanical Gardens. With a focus on Succot and the environment, the full-day program, which was hosted in partnership with the botanical garden, included ecology workshops such as arts and crafts with seeds, cooking with a solar oven, and creating an ecology notebook.

Actors in Biblical dress circulated among the 600 visitors, explaining the significance of the four species of plants that are used on Succot, and sang festival songs with the kids. Participants were welcomed into the succah, where they learned about the holiday, and parents helped their kids answer worksheets about Succot. After wandering among the many activities throughout the garden, participants gathered at the main stage for an entertaining performance about recycling.