Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Jewish communities around the world celebrated Purim on March 13, marking the holiday with readings from the Book of Esther, festive gatherings and acts of charity. Central Synagogue-Beth Emeth held their celebration on March 9 to bring an afternoon of fun to their congregation.
The Purim carnival saw over 100 people come out in costumes for the annual event. Kids and families flocked to the bounce houses and pool tables at the temple, and snacks like pizza, cotton candy and popcorn were also offered to the attendees. Kids gathered at the tables to complete festive crafts for the occasion.
The holiday is observed annually on the 14th of Adar, which is the 12th month in the religious Hebrew calendar, and it commemorates the survival of the Jewish people in ancient Persia after Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai stopped a plot to destroy them.
According to the Book of Esther, the Persian king Ahasuerus chose Esther as his queen, unaware of her Jewish identity. When the king’s top adviser, Haman, became enraged that Mordecai refused to bow to him, he convinced Ahasuerus to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all Jews in the empire.
Esther risked her life by approaching the king and revealing her heritage, ultimately leading to Haman’s downfall. The king allowed the Jewish people to defend themselves, and they emerged victorious.
Purim is observed with several key traditions, including the reading of the Megillah, or Book of Esther, in synagogues. Congregants use noisemakers to drown out Haman’s name whenever it is read aloud. The holiday is also marked by mishloach manot, the exchange of food gifts, and matanot la’evyonim, donations to those in need.
Many communities also host Purim spiels in their celebrations, which are comedic retellings of the story, as well as costume parades and festive meals. Traditional foods include hamantaschen, triangular pastries filled with different jams and flavorings. The Central Synagogue-Beth Emeth Sisterhood baked over 1,800 hamantaschen together to hand out for the holiday to the members of the congregation in their annual baking tradition, which brought them all together in the synagogue kitchen for the first time since before 2020.
