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Yonasan Schwartz, the owner of Toys to Discover on top of the ladder building the Succah from Clicks. Credit: Heshy Rubinstein/Dee Voch

Brooklyn, NY - While the first perek of Mishna Succah describes some rather unusual succahs, one Borough Park resident has constructed a unique succah unlike anything described in the mishna.  Yonasan Schwartz, the owner of Toys to Discover, has created a kosher succah built out of Clics, plastic Belgian building blocks that consists of colorful interlocking pieces that snap together.

Schwartz created the six foot by eight foot succah by covering a wooden frame with the plastic pieces and then screwed panels made of Clics onto the frame.  Three of the colorful panels are full walls with words interwoven into the design.  The fourth side of the succah consists of two smaller walls with an opening in the middle and the succah is covered with a kosher schach mat.

Photos - Video below of the Clicks Succah. Credit: Heshy Rubinstein/Dee Voch

The idea for the Succah came to Schwartz on Yom Kippur and he admits that his wife was more than a little skeptical when he shared his plan with her.

“My wife laughed and told me I was crazy, saying ‘How are you going to do that?’” Schwartz told VIN News.

In fact, it was neighborhood children who came to Schwartz’s rescue.

“There must have been fifty neighborhood kids who stopped to help me,” said Schwartz.  “Jews, Non Jews,...cars just stopped and kids came to help me.

I had kids laying on the ground in front of my store putting the pieces together.  Mothers were so happy to have an activity for their kids that they jokingly offered to pay me for keeping their kids busy.”

Schwartz admits that weaving words into the walls of the succah was beyond his capabilities.

“To be honest, I started doing but I just gave up.  Two or three kids came and they did the writing.  I just couldn’t do it.”

The inside of the succah, which is located on 18th Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets, boasts succah decorations and a table and chairs, all made out of Clics.  Mitzvah Kinder playing the part of the Ushpizin complete the decor.

Schwartz estimates that the succah contains between twenty five to thirty thousand Clics.  With a retail price of $100 for one hundred of the plastic pieces, the succah is not only functional but valuable as well and he plans on wheeling the succah inside his store every night. The schach will be removed and replaced daily in order to ensure the kashrus of the succah.

The store owner, who has been doing a twice daily rocket and confetti show during Chol Hamoed in order to provide simchas yom tov for local children, hopes that the novel succah, which will be on display during Chol Hamoed from 11 AM until dusk, will be enjoyed by community residents.  Schwartz is already thinking ahead to next year’s succah which he hopes will be considerably larger in size.

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