The Scramble Light is playing host to a sukkah, a 3-sided tent-like structure with a partial roof, to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Jewish and non-Jewish students are sleeping in the structure which will be up through Tuesday at 8 p.m. Ball State University students are encouraged to stop by the sukkah and learn more about the holiday.
Ball State Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, set up the sukkah to celebrate Sukkot, the celebration of the harvest, Hilary Gordon, junior vice president of Hillel, said. Sukkot is the basis of Thanksgiving, she said.
Gordon said Sukkot is celebrated by sleeping in a temporary, partial structure.
"The open wall would face the field and the ceiling is open to look at the stars," she said.
The celebration is an attempt to reconnect with nature, Gordon said.
"We're trying to raise awareness for the holiday," Gordon said. "We're also raising money for our charity."
Hillel will be collecting money to donate to the Central Asia Institute. According to its Web site, CAI's mission is to encourage and facilitate literacy programs emphasizing female education in rural areas of Central Asia such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This is the second year Hillel has set up a sukkah. Last year, the group used a different sukkah and raised money for a different charity, Gordon said. Hillel plans to support a different charity during the Sukkot each year.
The sukkah used this year is made of materials that will allow it to be passed down for many years, she said.
Hillel applied for and was issued a grant by Campus Activities Fund Board which allowed it to purchase the new sukkah.
Current students are not the only people present at the sukkah. Alumnus and re-founder of Hillel, Joe Brown, is also at the sukkah.
Hillel was inactive when Brown attended Ball State; he resurrected the group in 2001.
Brown is researching for an anthropology paper about small Jewish groups within campuses that have small Jewish communities. Andrea Wiese, sophomore temple liaison for Hillel, arranged for the children from Temple Beth El to come and decorate the sukkah.
Wiese said the children were very excited to decorate.
"They started [preparing] a couple hours before," she said.
The children and temple members arrived at 5 p.m. and supplied food for dinner.
"We're very excited about the relationship we have with the temple," she said. "It's never been this open before."
The temple members conducted about 30 minutes of prayers over the sukkah, Wiese said.
Hillel hopes students will come out and learn about the festival.
"Bring your sleeping bag an
come sleep with us!" she said.
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