Parents: “Know Where Your Children Are” This Sukkos

The Vaad Hakohol and concerned parents are warning of the dangers of the nightly celebrations in Crown Heights on Sukkos and sound the alarm to other parents.

The annual Simchas Beis Hashoeiva in Crown Heights is renowned throughout the Jewish world for its extraordinary joy and celebration, continuing throughout the night during the nights of Sukkos. Since 5741 (1980), with the Rebbe’s strong encouragement, the streets of Crown Heights have come alive each night with dancing and rejoicing until the early morning hours, reminiscent of the great Simchas Beis Hashoeiva in the Beis Hamikdash.

Each year, thousands of people come to Crown Heights to participate in this unique celebration, drawing inspiration, kedusha, and true simcha shel mitzvah to carry with them throughout the year.

The tremendous effort required to organize such an event should not go unrecognized. We extend our sincere appreciation to the organizers, volunteers, and all those who devote countless hours to ensuring that Simchas Beis Hashoeiva is conducted in the best possible manner.

In recent years, however, a separate phenomenon—unrelated to Simchas Beis Hashoeiva itself—has developed in the surrounding streets. Large numbers of young people, including many coming from outside the neighborhood, gather throughout the night primarily for socializing rather than to participate in the actual celebration. These gatherings have grown considerably, at times numbering in the thousands, and concerns from parents and members of our community have grown along with them.

Given the current reality, parents must be aware that allowing children and teenagers to wander the neighborhood streets unsupervised on the nights of Chol Hamoed can present serious spiritual and physical risks. After the tremendous investment that parents and mechanchim make throughout the year in the chinuch and well-being of our children, we cannot afford to be complacent during these nights.

Every parent who cares about the physical and spiritual welfare of their children—and, collectively, of all the youth in our community—should make it a priority to know where their son or daughter is and with whom they are spending their time.

Simchas Beis Hashoeiva itself is an appropriate and organized environment, as are supervised events and gatherings arranged by mosdos chinuch and other responsible community institutions. Unstructured gatherings without proper supervision, however, should not be treated in the same way. Allowing a child or teenager to spend the night at such gatherings without knowing where they are or who they are with places them in an environment that may expose them to unnecessary risks.

We therefore strongly urge all parents to take an active role: speak openly with your children, establish clear expectations, and make sure you know where they are throughout the night.

It should also be emphasized that these concerns relate specifically to the nights of Chol Hamoed. The situation described above has not been an issue on the nights of Shabbos and Yom Tov.

May we all enjoy a joyous and uplifting Yom Tov, and may the simcha and kedusha of Simchas Beis Hashoeiva inspire our families and our entire community throughout the year.

Vaad Hakohol and Concerned parents

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