What does it mean to be a “sanctuary”? From diverse places of community gathering to Chicago’s legacy as a Sanctuary City for undocumented immigrants, this discussion-based program will explore what it means to welcome strangers and create community— historically and in the present. Anchored in the Chicago Sukkah Design Festival’s central theme of sacred spaces in the built environment, we’ll reflect on how sukkot serve as places for preparation, surprise, impermanence, and protection as we explore each of the five sukkah installations featured in the 2025 Festival. Come ready to learn, share, and reflect together.
PROGRAM FACILATORS
Rebekah Coffman is a historian, preservationist, and Curator of Religion and Community History at the Chicago History Museum. Her interdisciplinary work is at the intersection of religious identity and the built environment through place-based, community-centered approaches. Rebekah is also a member of the Chicago Architecture Center Advisory Committee for the Built on Belief initiative.
Lex Rofeberg, a Jewish educator and activist, serves as senior Jewish educator for Judaism Unbound and is a rabbi ordained through the Jewish Renewal movement. Known for its popular podcast, Judaism Unbound is a digitally driven, radically open center for education serving as a catalyst for an entirely new era of Judaism. Lex is author co-editor of the new book Judaism Unbound (Bound).