A Paper Chase for Palm Fronds : Holiday frenzy: The city’s giveaway of leaves to Jews who use them for <i> sukkah</i> shelters is now so popular that those who order get priority.

Dressed in sturdy work clothes and wearing thick gloves, they parked vans, flatbed trucks and small pickups on Chandler Boulevard in North Hollywood early Tuesday morning, looking to the city’s tree trimmers to help them observe an ancient Jewish tradition.

About 50 people showed up for what has become the annual “frond frenzy” at the city Department of Public Works lot, where they came to gather palm fronds needed to give the finishing touch to the traditional hut built for the eight-day Sukkot holiday that begins this evening.

Although a handful left unhappily empty-handed because of stricter enforcement of city requirements this year, most went away with cars and trucks piled with waving fronds.

The fronds are needed to build a hut or booth called a sukkah in back yards, or more commonly at synagogues, to commemorate the period when the Israelites wandered in the desert, living in temporary shelters during the Exodus.

The crowds have been growing larger each year, veterans of the annual onslaught said.

“I’ve been coming here for eight years and I’ve never seen a crowd like this,” said Eddy Levy of North Hollywood, who brought his two sons to help him load their truck. “I think it’s a sign that there is a greater awareness of observing holy days.”

For about 15 years, city tree trimmers have given away palm fronds before the holy days as a community service to Jews. But the annual distribution has become so popular that this year city street maintenance officials said they were forced to impose a 100-frond limit per vehicle and require recipients to pre-order fronds through their synagogues. Admission letters to identify qualified recipients at the distribution sites were sent to temples, which in turn gave them to their congregations.

“We can’t provide for everyone; there’s not enough to go around,” said Duane Gute Sr., street tree superintendent.

City officials said they formalized the service years ago when they found that some Jews would search out tree trimmers on their own and gather fronds as they dropped from the trees--a dangerous task. Now, eight-foot-long fronds from about 450 palm trees trimmed in the normal course of citywide maintenance work over a three-day period are distributed just before the festival at two city yards, the one in North Hollywood and the other on Gardner Street in West Los Angeles.

Although in past years, palm fronds were reserved by synagogues for distribution, there were enough fronds that all comers were usually given as many as they wanted, city officials said.

This year, however, fearing that they would not be able to fill the growing demand, those with reservations were given priority because the system was already in place, even though enforcement had long been lax.

About 20 empty-handed palm seekers were turned away Monday and Tuesday, told to return after noon today when the reserved orders would be filled.

By this evening, city officials estimate that 17,000 fronds will have been given away at the two sites, up from 10,000 when the program began.

“It can get to be a little wild around here when the palm truck pulls in,” said John Pegg, a street maintenance worker and three-year veteran of the giveaway in North Hollywood. “We gotta keep it organized, keep the traffic down because there is a lot of heavy equipment around here that could be dangerous.”

About 10 a.m., a long trailer truck stuffed with thousands of palm leaves pulled into the maintenance yard and dumped its load, stirring the crowd of about 50 into a horn-honking rush for the palm pile.

As they attempted to pull into the lot, Pegg shouted, “You got a letter? You gotta have a letter.”

Drivers waving letters were given a number in line.

Those such as Ofer Touboul of North Hollywood, who gathered palms from the city in years past but had no letter, were turned away.

“I was basically out of luck because I am not affiliated with a specific synagogue and did not have a letter,” he said. “We are thankful that the city provided this to us, but they should be fair to everyone.”

Touboul’s friends, however, later dropped a load of 20 extra fronds at his house.

Those who had letters quickly backed their vehicles to the pile and stuffed the heavy fronds aboard, some picking up the sharp branches with bare hands.

Marilyn Stern of Agoura took only strong, unbroken fronds.

“I’m not a perfectionist, I’ve just built a sukkah for many years and I know what ones to get,” she said. “After a few days, they get so dry they just hang there.”

Tradition calls for the sukkah to be shaded by greenery, said Rabbi Moche Rothblum of Temple Adat Ari El in North Hollywood. Southern California Jews prefer the traditional palm frond, although in the East, pine branches are popular, he said.

Thanksgiving prayers are said and meals shared with family and friends in the sukkah. “This symbolically reflects that even though life is sometimes tenuous and fragile like a booth, we believe that God will shelter us, envelop us and give our life meaning,” Rothblum said.