PediSukkah To Hit Roads Again

This Sukkot, the PediSukkah will be hitting the streets of New York City for the fourth year.

The PediSukah, which was invented by Levi Duchman of Brooklyn, NY at the age of 16, is a combination of a PediCab and a Sukkah. During Sukkot Jews eat in a Sukkah for seven days. A Sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot.

The purpose of the PediSukkah is to bring awareness to Jewish men, women and children about the holiday of Sukkot, and to have them step inside and make a blessing on the lulov and etrog, the special 4 species that is held and shaken every day of Sukkot.

Duchman came up with the idea for the PediSukkah 4 years ago. “I was in Manhattan during the summer seeing all the Pedicabs and the idea just came in to me. And thank G-d we were able to build from the idea and bring it to life. Last year our PediSukkahs made appearances at malls, sporting events, boardwalks, and all around town.”

The first year Levi started off with just one PediSukkah. The next year, Levi was joined by Dovid Katz, and along with their friends they pedaled 15 PediSukkahs around Manhattan. This year for Sukkot, Levi and Dovid purchased 10 bikes. The bikes are paid for in part by generous donators. The two are looking for sponsors to purchase more, as many Shluchim have asked them to visit their areas.

Levi Duchman, Dovid Katz and their friends drive the PediSukahs around Brooklyn, Manhattan, and even New Jersey. They are able to reach out to many Jews in this unique way. A businessman can jump in and in no time he can do the mitzvah of shaking the lulov and etrog.

“Last year we did lulav and esrog with hundreds of people a day per day per bike,” Katz says. “The looks we got and the amount of people taking photos with their phones was amazing.”

Despite the talk in New York City about a law that would require Pedicab drivers to have a special license, Duchman and Katz are not daunted. “Everyone who hears about the PediSukkah gets very excited about the idea and is happy to help. It’s amazing to see the smiles and reactions of people. It’s great for New York because there are almost no parking regulations, and you don’t need a driver’s license.”

The PediSukkahs are colorful, creative and eye-catching. They also promote Going Green and are great for the environment.

“The police love it!” says Levi. “The Pedicab drivers get excited, and are more than happy to share the streets with us. It is great how many Jews we are reaching out to.”

To find out more visit PediSukkah.com.