EVENING SCHEDULE:
3:30-5pm: Religious School (stay for the evening Purim celebrations immediately following!)
5:15pm: Community Dinner (Osher Marin JCC Hoytt Theater) - RSVP HERE!
6pm: Purimspiel (Osher Marin JCC Hoytt Theater)
7pm: Teen Purim After-party (Osher Marin JCC Kurland Lounge)
Save the date and join us in the shtetl for a Fiddlin' Purimspiel! Costumes are highly encouraged, and all ages are welcome. Need some inspiration? Pay homage to your favorite character from the original Fidder on the Roof film. The holiday of Purim is a respite from daily life, as we celebrate in community, with food, drink, song, and an exuberant re-telling of the Purim story. You won't want to miss this beloved annual tradition!
Purim Mitzvah Moments:
The holiday of Purim is grounded in strengthening our community and the world through acts of tzedakah and mitzvot. We invite you to join us in one (or more!) of the following actions:
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Bring a box or two of mac and cheese, dried beans, or rice to use as graggers (noisemakers to drown out the name of Haman whenever it is called), and then donate them to the SF-Marin Food Bank, by placing them in our bin in the JCC Lobby.
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Come to the Purimspiel and pick up a mishloach manot (a gift bag of food) from us to deliver to homebound community members who are unable to celebrate with us in person.
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Donate to Rodef Sholom's Social Action Fund, which supports our critical work around immigration rights, homelessness, climate justice, and other issues that directly impact our community.
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We are excited to support The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund's new
giving circle, focusing on helping immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the United States and internationally. All contribution levels are welcome. Learn more here. -
Join the Jewish Effective Giving Initiative by donating to one of several charities they have identified that are, according to rigorous research and the best available data, extremely efficient at saving and substantially improving lives around the world.
WHAT TO EXPECT: An evening of zany, storytelling fun and merriment, beginning with a community dinner at 5:15pm (RSVP HERE). One of the primary themes of Purim is the upside-down nature of the holiday: a celebration in which we are encouraged to embrace a reality different from our norm. What's up is down, and what's down is up!
ABOUT PURIM: The story of Purim is told in the Book of Esther, in which the Persian king Ahashverosh banished his queen Vashti for failing to obey his every command, then married a new bride, Esther. Esther was told to keep her Jewish faith a secret by her cousin, Mordecai. When Mordecai refused to bow down before Haman, the Royal Vizier, Haman plotted to kill all the Jews as revenge.
Mordecai persuaded Esther to risk her life by going to the king without being summoned and revealing her faith. After inviting the king and Haman to a great feast, she revealed that she was Jewish and persuaded the king to allow the Jews to defend themselves against Haman’s plot. The Jews defeated the assassins, Haman was executed and Mordecai was appointed to take his place. Purim reminds us that, even though we face enemies, we will overcome adversity.
IMPORTANT RITUALS:
Mishloach Manot: Mishloach manot are gifts of food that are customarily given to loved ones during the holiday of Purim. During this time, we also give these to those in our community who are vulnerable.
Hamantashen & Purim Foods: Hamantashen is an Ashkenazi Jewish triangular filled cookie, often filled with prunes, jam, or chocolate. The name refers to Haman, the villain in the Purim story, who wore a three-cornered hat. Sephardic Jews celebrate with fazuelos, fijuelas, hiuelas, deblas, or orecchie di Ammon, pastries of thin fried dough, whose Italian name evokes the shape of Haman's ears.
Megillah: The primary communal celebration of Purim involves a public reading of the Book of Esther (M'gillat Esther), which tells the story of the holiday. The reading of the megillah typically is a raucous affair and is punctuated by booing and noise-making when Haman's name is read aloud...the louder and noisier, the better!