Purim in Pictures

Even though it's been several weeks since Purim, I'm first getting around to blogging about it. But don't worry, it hasn't taken that entire time to recover from fulfilling the mitzvah of getting so drunk that you can't tell the difference between Mordechai (the hero) and Haman (the villain). Actually, I admittedly didn't drink much at all -- I chanted chapter eight of the Megillat Esther (aka the story of Purim), and since there were only two chapters to go after I finished, that didn't leave me too much time to party (I try to avoid drinking before I have to sing, if at all possible).

Despite the sobreity, I still managed to have plenty of fun. Because Jerusalem is a walled city -- just like Shushan, the town in Persia where the Purim story takes place -- Purim is celebrated on the day after the rest of the world celebrates Purim. We call this special day "Shushan Purim." The rest of Israel still celebrates Purim on the regular day, which means that Israelis get to celebrate for two days in a row -- which is precisely what I did!

The fun began on Erev Purim, when I went with Aviella and Malca to buy materials to make Mishloach Manot. Mishloach Manot are special gift baskets that people traditionally give to their friends as a Purim treat. However, you can't just put any random assortment of junk together. Each basket must contain at least two different brachot -- that is, you have to be able to say different blessings for at least two of the items in the basket. For example, you can include an apple -- for which you would say the blessing for fruit -- alongside cookies, which involve a special blessing for baked goods.

Needless to say, the stores were decked out with all shapes and sizes of Mishloach Manot baskets, candies and gift-wraps. We even saw a western-themed box, which inspired us to put together a Mishloach Manot basket for the directors of our production of Oklahoma. The stores were also filled to the brim with costumes galore -- we had waaaaay too much fun trying on silly wigs and masks!

Aviella, Malca, and our "Oklahoma" Mishoach Manot masterpiece

Crazy costumes on sale at Malcha Mall and Ben Yehuda

On the day that the rest of Israel celebrates Purim, there are parades all over the country. Nancy, the amazing student affairs coordinator at HUC, told us that the most famous of these parades was the one in Holon. I met up with my classmate Jordan's girlfriend Jemma, who was visiting from England, and together we hopped on a bus to Holon. There, we encountered an adorable crowd of Disney princesses, which seemed to be the costume of choice for the girls (I think Spiderman was probably the most popular boys' costume). My favorite costume by far was a little girl dressed as a milkmaid, who wore a dress made entirely out of recycled milk cartons! The cuteness factor was way off the charts.

The theme of this year's parade was the environment, and the elaborate floats depicted under the sea and jungle themes, along with a few other surprises. I mean, in what other country would you get a float featuring a larger-than-life balloon sculpture of Barak Obama in a bright green suit followed by Noah's Ark? I tried my best to take pictures, but the crowds rivaled those at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and we were stuck standing behind a mob of people. Here's an idea of some of the creative and elaborate floats, made out of everything from flowers to balloons:

After the parade, Jemma and I had our most authentic Israeli experience of the day: attempting to buy falafel amidst a sea of very hungry (and very pushy) people. We then raced back to Jerusalem, where I had literally five minutes to get into my costume for the HUC Megillah reading. I threw on my Martha Jefferson dress from 1776, hoping that it would serve as a good advertisement for the show. We have a great cast, but we're finding that the show isn't very well-known here in Israel. I believe this is actually the first time a live production of 1776 is being produced here -- in fact, our producer has gotten several enthusiastic e-mails from members of the composer's family saying how excited they are that the musical is being presented here.

But I digress. Sundown marked the official beginning of Shushan Purim. Our HUC Purim service and spiel were intertwined into one cohesive unit, under the heading "Shushan Bandstand." My roommate Leslie and some of my other classmates incorporated the prayers from the Maariv (evening) service into cheesy pop songs ("Mi Chamocha" became "Kokomo"; "Aleinu" was sung to the tune of "Eye of the Tiger, etc.) Members of our class did a full Megillah reading, with each of us reading a section. People went all out with costumes (that's Leslie below as Esther/Madonna, star of "Shushan Bandstand"). They also wrote some very creative skits for the open-mike that followed -- particularly Aviva's rendition of "Shacharit the Musical," meant to parody the fact that so many Reform melodies sound like showtunes!

The next morning I did some errands and walked right into lots of Shushan Purim spirit.

There were men conducting a full Megillah reading right on the bottom of Ben Yehuda Street, in the center of town.


There were carnivals galore all through the major Jerusalem shopping thoroughfares, like Mamilla Mall:


Gilad Shalit's family and supporters were in full force outside of the Prime Minister's house, where people were writing notes and prayers for his release. Purim marked day 990 of his captivity, and he has since been held for over 1000 days. Talk is strong about his imminent release, but no deal has been reached between the Israeli government and Hamas.

My own packed Purim celebration drew to a close at my very first Purim Seudah -- a celebratory meal reminiscent of the fact that Esther and Modechai declared Purim to be a festival for feasting. Ricky -- aka my 1776 "husband" Thomas Jefferson invited me to his friend Penina's beautiful apartment for lots of delicious food, friends, and wine. Here are Aviella and I partaking in the festivities:

One of the highlights of the meal was Rachel's delicious mask cookies (see below). Rachel owns her own dessert company called Temptations and makes some absolutely stunning creations. Check out her website -- it's worth a look!

I hope these pictures will give you just a little taste of the Purim excitement here in Israel. I'm glad I managed to get them up before Passover, since I'm sure I'll have lots more to write about that! :)