A thumbnail image from a Purim-based children's puppet show.

Celebrating Purim

"As we celebrate, may our joy and laughter echo in the walls of the JCC, and our gratitude and love be carried out with us into the rest of our worlds."

— Rabbi Yael Rapport

An image of a Purim-based puppet show.

March 3, 2023

The Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, which this year is Monday, March 6 through Tuesday, March 7. Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar, celebrated with the reading of the Megillah, masquerades and carnivals, and of course plentiful drink and food, including hamantaschen cookies.

Purim commemorates the saving of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from Haman’s threatened massacre. The story is told in the book of Esther (commonly known as the Megillah), in which she was a young Jewish woman living in Persia, raised by her cousin Mordechai. Esther was taken to the house of King Ahasuerus to become a part of his harem, and the king loved her and made her queen, dethroning Queen Vashti. The king did not know that Esther was Jewish, and thus, the king’s advisor, Haman (the villain of the story), plotted to destroy the Jewish people. Mordechai, who already had a fraught relationship with Haman because he refused to bow to him, convinced Esther to speak to the king on behalf of all Jewish people. She took the risk, speaking with the king about Haman’s plot against Jewish people, and he listened. The Jews were saved, and Haman and his sons were punished. The story is one of personal activism and communal bravery. For a more in-depth telling of the background of Purim, visit BimBam’s helpful recount on YouTube.

The reading of the Megillah during Purim is always lively, with costumed attendees spinning groggers (noisemakers) every time Haman’s name is spoken. The story of Esther can also be acted out in a spiel with props and puppets.

“This year, let’s share Purim in a way that still celebrates the child-like glee that suffuses every member of our community, no matter how old they may be, but also recognizes the human complexity of every individual. In a way that offers thanks and gratitude for the miracles of existence, but also values how our fortunes can shift in an instant,” shares Rabbi Yael Rapport, director of The Gottesman Center for Jewish Living and The Selma and Lawrence Ruben Center for 20s + 30s. “As we celebrate, may our joy and laughter echo in the walls of the JCC, and our gratitude and love be carried out with us into the rest of our worlds.”

Join the JCC in person, leading up to and during Purim, for joyous celebrations, events, and Megillah readings for all ages.

JCC Purim events begin this weekend, with:
Infants + Young Children Purim Celebration on Friday morning;
JCC Harlem Purim Havdalah Party for Families on Saturday evening;
20s + 30s Shmaltz Brewing Co’s Purim Prom on Saturday evening.

Events continue through Purim with:
Out at the J’s Vashti Ball: A Queer Purim Experience on Monday evening;
Purim Lobby Celebration on Tuesday afternoon, free for the whole community;
60+ Purim Masquerade Cocktails + Conversation Tuesday evening - Canceled;
Film screening of iMordechai on Tuesday evening.

More details about these events, and all Purim offerings at the JCC can be found at purim.mmjccm.org.

Written by Lauren Magy. Lauren is the Director of Public Relations + Community Engagement at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She has worked at theater and cultural institutions in DC and NY for the past decade.