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"From early morning till noon Ezra read aloud from it (the Book of Law), facing the square in front of the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; the people all listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform which had been made for this purpose. Beside him stood Mattithyahu, Shema, Anayahu, Uriyahu, Hilkiyahu and Maaseyahu on his right hand, and on his left Pedayahu, Mishael, Malchiyahu, Hashum, Hashbaddana, Zechariyahu and Meshullam. Then Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above them, and when he opened it, they all stood up." (Nehemiah 8:3-5) The Book of Ezra relates how Ezra, a kohen, led 1500 Jews back to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile around 458 BC. Nehemiah had Ezra read out the entire Law of Moses to the assembled crowd and made them enter into a renewed covenant. The Jews were henceforth to keep all the commandments of the Law and they were not to intermarry with other people. This event coincided with the festival of Sukkoth (generally in October) and all the people built temporary booths from branches which they are here shown to be holding aloft.