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NYC 'Sukkah City' Re-Imagines Jewish Holiday Ritual

NEW YORK (AP) -- New Yorkers were getting a look at an ultramodern twist on an ancient Jewish tradition.

Twelve avant-garde takes on a sukkah were on display Sunday in Manhattan's Union Square.

A sukkah is a temporary hut crafted to celebrate the Jewish holiday Sukkot. The structures evoke both farmers' temporary field houses and Israelites' transient homes during 40 years of desert wanderings.

Organizers of the Sukkah City project invited architects to reimagine the structures, while maintaining their temporary nature. Co-founder Roger Bennett says the 12 finalists were chosen from more than 600 entrants.

The results ranged from a bird's-nest-like structure made largely of marsh grass to a cube fashioned from small wooden slats.

(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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