During the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, one could hear, through the din of more than 200 children playing, conversations in three languages at the Beit David Highland Lakes Shul synagogue: English, Spanish and Hebrew.

Yehuda Fensterzaub, 30, watched the scene on Monday afternoon. A recent arrival to Florida from New York, he's considering joining the Orthodox synagogue's growing congregation.

``To have a nice growing Jewish community is very important to many religious Jews,'' he said. ``Because the community is growing really nicely, it's appealing to others to move here as well.''

The Beit David Highland Lakes Shul is growing. In the last year, the congregation has swelled from 120 families to 150, and others have begun to participate in the community without formally joining, Rabbi Joseph Abrams said.

For many, the synagogue's diversity is part of its appeal.

``I'm Latin, I'm Jewish, and I like a mix,'' said Shirley Yogev, 39, who brought her daughter to the celebration and is originally from Panama.

The congregation was formed in 2005 when two other temples, Beit David and Highland Lakes, merged. The two congregations were close by, both were looking for a rabbi, and it made sense -- both financially and practically -- for them to join forces, Abrams said. They completed construction of a new synagogue in spring 2008 at 2600 NE 209th St.

Ilan Srendi, 39, is president of the shul. He said that more than half the congregation emigrated from Latin America, and many have ties to Eastern Europe. He said his family's story is a typical one at the shul: His grandparents fled Eastern Europe after WWII and ended up in Colombia, where he was born and raised. He migrated to South Florida with his family in the early 80s and has lived here since.

While he considers himself Colombian-American, he said the word ``Latino'' doesn't capture his full identity.

``I'm a modern Orthodox Jew with a diverse cultural background,'' he said.

Ilan's wife, Lilian Srendi, 39, said the synagogue helped create a sense of community for immigrants.

``They're used to that feeling of community, getting together, families that all know each other and share the same faith,'' she said. ``Here in the United States, it's not like that, unless you're affiliated with a synagogue you lose that feel of community that they have in their countries of origin.''

The sense of community was palpable during the celebration of Sukkot, sometimes called Sukkos, on Monday. The seven-day holiday commemorates the 40-year period after the Jewish people left Egypt, and lived in the desert in ``sukkahs", which means temporary structures or huts in Hebrew.

On Saturday and Sunday, observant Jews ate their main meals in sukkahs, walled structures that must be temporary in nature, and have a roof made out of natural material that won't keep out rain, like palm leaves or branches. Some congregation members built their own sukkahs in their backyards; others dined in one at the back of the synagogue. The sukkahs can be made out of almost anything, Abrams said, from elaborate designs with lattice word work, to plastic, to Styrofoam enclosures with an air conditioner installed in the window.

The holiday is considered a time to celebrate and reflect on the history of the Jewish people.

``It represents the fragility of our lives and that God protects us,'' Abrams said. ``That is ultimately our security, not the world around us.''

On Monday afternoon, Beit David Highland Lakes celebrated the holiday with plenty of kid-friendly diversions. A bearded man with a black kippah, or skullcap, spun pink cotton candy, while others dished out snow cones and popcorn. A crowd of girls, some with their faces painted, stood waiting for the next pony ride as a brightly painted train took groups of children on a ride around the temple.

For Fensterzaub, the man from New York who is thinking of joining the congregation, Sukkot is a time for renewal. The holiday comes on the heels of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

``We're starting the New Year off hopefully on the right foot,'' he said. ``And we'll see how it goes down here.''

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