Word: sukkah
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...criticisms proceeded on two fronts. One student opposed the very presence of the sukkah, citing it as an example of an inappropriate public religious symbol. Notwithstanding his mildly offensive comments about how "some people in Dunster have influence in the house and can get the courtyard to use for what they support," his position probably speaks to a sizable group of students...
Another group of students raised a more serious objection. They didn't mind the sukkah per se, but they found the "Harvest Festival" that was held in it on Sunday night to be a tasteless, almost cynical manipulation of religious traditions in the name of multicultural diversity. The festival incorporated Jewish, Chinese and neo-pagan ideas about the harvest season. Several Chinese students door-dropped a "silent protest" to residents, arguing that the differences between religious traditions should not be blurred...
That said, the Dunster sukkah has some problems. If you missed Sunday's festival (as I did), you would be hard pressed to know what in God's name that booth is doing in the middle of the courtyard. No signs hang on the makeshift walls, and I found no obvious notices around the house explaining the object and its purpose. Unless such displays are informative and accessible, they are of little worth, and possibly even offensive...
Second, religious diversity must mean that we explore different traditions on their own terms, in their own settings. Common threads are always fascinating, but cannot be the basis for learning about a tradition. A sukkah is fine as an authentically Jewish symbol; as a multicultural harvest hut, it is questionable at best...
Third, for religious values and traditions to serve their proper function in the College, namely, to help us learn more about one another, students, not faculty and staff, must spearhead projects like the Dunster sukkah. Besides, Harvard is blessed with many students that are knowledgeable and deeply committed to religious life. Not to involve them in planning house projects is to squander a tremendous resource...