PURIM

Events and Worship

Purim Carnival - 5768

Sunday, March 16, 2008
11 a.m. - 1:30  p.m. Purim Carnival
 It's the annual Fairmount Temple Purim Carnival. Join us for clowns, games, a petting zoo, moonwalk, magicians, cotton candy, popcorn, raffle, prizes, costumes, treasure chests, goldfish, music, hamantaschen and lots of fun!  The Purim Carnival is sponsored by CLEFTY, CLEveland Fairmount Temple Youth group.  Proceeds benefit Fairmount Temple's youth programs. Open to all!

Purimspiel

Thursday, March 20, 2008
5:30 p.m.  Purim Dinner - Waffles with the Wizard - RSVPs needed to Holly at 216-4664-1330, ext. 118.

6:30 p.m.. A PurimSpiel and Megillah  Reading  Fun for the entire family! Come watch the rabbis, cantor and others put a "Purim-twist" on fun songs!!  This year's theme is "The Wizard of Oz" and it will be a show performed by those of all ages! This is open to all, so please join in the celebration and revelry which will include a costume parade.

8:30 p.m. Chevrei Tikva PurimSpiel  with members of the Chevrei Tikva Players putting on a fun and spirited show, It Takes a Shtetl! Grab a box of pasta (to shake to drown out Haman's name) and join in the fun. 

Click on Haman below for sound effects!

Be happy! It's Purim! The 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar is Purim, a joyous celebration of a great Jewish victory. Here we retell the story of the Jewish Queen Esther and her uncle, Mordecai, who saved the Jews of Persia from a plot by the Prime Minister, Haman. We tell the story of Purim emphasizing Mordecai's bravery, Esther's goodness, and King Ahashuarus' fairness. Haman is depicted as mean and acting unkindly. We do not say to the children that he wanted to "kill the Jews," but rather, that we wanted to "hurt" them.

Today Jews gather on the night and following morning of Purim to hear the reading of the Megillah, the Book of Esther. Many people, especially children, come to the reading dressed in outlandish costumes, a custom, which originated in Italy some 500 years ago. Many hundreds of years ago, people would write Haman's name on pieces of stone and then rub the stones together until his name was erased. This evolved into the custom we have today. During the reading of the Megillah people drown out Haman's name with Purim noisemakers called greggars.

Megillah means scroll. Without any other word after it, megillah refers to the scroll of Esther, the heroine of the Purim story. In name Esther in Hebrew means "hidden," an appropriate name as Esther initially kept her identity as a Jew from her husband.

The Purim custom of putting on masks goes back to Esther when she masqueraded as at first as a non-Jew, before she revealed herself.

On Purim, gifts of food, shelach manot, are exchanged between families and friends and gifts of charity are given to the poor. Hamantaschen, a Purim pastry filled with jelly, poppy seeds, cheese, or chocolate and shaped like Haman's three-cornered hat, are enjoyed by all.

Recipes

HAMANTASCHEN

• 2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 1/16 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons salad oil
• pie filling or jelly
• 2-3 well beaten eggs

Mix dry ingredients. Add eggs and oil. Knead until smooth. Roll out. Make circles, fill with pie filling or jelly. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Songs

MY HAT IT HAS THREE CORNERS

My hat it has three corners, three corners has my hat.
And if it had not three corners, it would not be my hat.

I'M A LITTLE GREGGAR (Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot")

I'm a little greggar; shake me around.
Here is my handle; now listen to my sound.
When I hear Haman's name, I shout.
Hold me tightly and wave me about.
Just hold me tightly and wave me about.

Crafts

PURIM MASKS: Masks of Queen Esther, King Ahashuerus, Mordechai and Haman can be made out of decorated paper plates, paper bags, construction paper, Styrofoam trays, or shallow foil tins. Decorate with yarn, felt, markers, tissue paper, crayons, paint, glitter, or anything else. Make sure to cut out holes large enough for your child's eyes.

PAPER CROWN: Materials needed:

• Cardboard or construction paper
• Scissors
• Paint, crayons, or markers
• Glue
• Glitter
• Colored glass "jewels"

Cut the cardboard of paper to the length of the child's head plus a little more. Cut a scalloped design around the top edge and decorate with above materials. Staple or glue the two ends together.

GREGGARS: Greggars or noisemakers can be made from a variety of materials such as: paper plates, orange juice cans, or toilet paper tubes. Decorate and before sealing the opening shut, put in some beans. Then when shaken, a noise will be made.

Links

URJ Jewish Holidays - Purim

Send Purim Greeting Cards: 123Greetings

Purim on the Net