Two three-day cultural festivals to mark Sukkot with poetry, dance, and eco-tours

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Israel Culture At Confederation House, the poetry festival operates under the theme “Poets Are Called Alive in Death.” The event utilizes the traditional sukkah as a metaphor for an inner artistic sanctuary.Follow us on GoogleRabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and his students hold the Four Species as they attend a morning prayer during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in Katzrin, northern Israel, on October 12, 2025.(photo credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)SEPTEMBER 7, 2026 10:27Two distinct three-day cultural festivals will take place during the Sukkot holiday from September 29 to October 1, offering audiences a mix of literature, dance, and community events.The eighth annual Ushpizin Poetry Festival at Jerusalem’s Confederation House will explore themes of home and memory through verse, while the Vertigo Ecological Art Village in the Ela Valley will host its Dance in the Village festival, combining contemporary choreography with sustainability initiatives.At Confederation House, the poetry festival operates under the theme “Poets Are Called Alive in Death.” Directed by Effie Benaya and Binyamin Shvili, the event utilizes the traditional sukkah as a metaphor for an inner artistic sanctuary.Programming features readings, panels, and live musical accompaniment honoring late Israeli literary icons Hedva Harechavi, Israel Eliraz, and Haim Gouri, alongside global masters like Dante, Osip Mandelstam, and Matsuo Basho.The festival concludes with a musical tribute pairing Natan Zach’s poetry with compositions by the late Matti Caspi.Families from the Malkia kibbutz in Northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, decorate a sukka ahead of the Jewish holiday of SukkotI, two years after having to have moved out from the kibbutz due to the war, and now being back. October 6, 2025. (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)Vertigo Ecological Art Village hosts Sukkot festivalSimultaneously, the Vertigo Ecological Art Village hosts its festival under artistic director Sigal Roth.The main lineup features an exclusive 2027 pre-premiere by the Vertigo Dance Company, choreographed by Noa Wertheim and Rina Wertheim Koren, alongside performances by the Force of Balance Ensemble, Orly Portal, and the Kibbutz 2 dancers.Daily free community programming starting at 4:00 p.m. includes guided eco-tours, a second-hand market, sunset movement sessions, and a veteran art exhibition via Vertigo’s Resilience Farm. The final day explicitly caters to families, concluding with local food and drink.Follow us on Google