Jackson Sukkah violation gets national press coverage

NEW JERSEY (CBS) — What was supposed to be a happy holiday for a local family is now quite the opposite, after a local township sent out a violation notice, telling the family to take down a popular centerpiece of that holiday. “I never had such a thing in my life,” Isaac Ben-Attar told Eyewitness News. Isaac Ben-Attar lives in Jackson Township New Jersey and he told Eyewitness News he is fuming over a violation that demands he take down his Sukkah. A Sukkah is a religious shelter built during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which ends this week. Ben-Attar started celebrating inside Sukkahs almost 50 years ago as a little boy in Israel. “It’s a family holiday. It’s seven days and it’s a very happy holiday,” he told Eyewitness News. The violation notice told Ben-Attar to take down the Sukkah by October 9th. “Failure to make the necessary corrections may result in a summons and additional fines.” “I was just wondering if someone would decide to put his Christmas tree in the deck, if it’s going to get such a violation. It’s a holiday. I’m sure they know what Sukkah means,” he said. The violation mentions the word “Sukkah.” Ben-Attar said township officials should know it is only temporary. “It’s a tent and it’s coming down. It’s like the tent I bought from Costco over there to storage my stuff. What’s the difference?,” he said. Eyewitness News reached out to Jackson Township officials several times to ask about the violation. Township officials did not respond.