Temple Israel in Lawrence celebrates Purim

Purim, a holiday that commemorates a Jewish victory over the hated Hamen in ancient Persia, was marked by congregants of Temple Israel in Lawrence on March 7.

This year, Purim was on March 8, but the children and some adults at Temple Israel got ahead start in celebrating the holiday and wore costumes to the Wednesday night

gathering.

In addition to Purim, Temple Israel and several Five Towns families played hosts to 20 students from Orthodox Renzo Levy Yeshiva in Rome from March 6 to 13. In February, several Jewish students from New York visited the Rome students.

The students from Rome are the children and grandchildren of Jewish people who endured Nazi persecution during World War II and of some who fled from Libya when Mommar Gadhafi came into power.