Purim Israeli Style

One of my favorite holidays is Purim. I love the fun of planning a costume and a theme for our Megillah reading and service. It is a treat to see the students, teachers and even some other adults in their creative costumes. The celebration often occurs both on the day of Purim itself with an extra dose of joy on the nearest Sunday at Hebrew school. Well folks, you ain't seen nothing until you experience Purim in Israel.
I was sharing with Aviva Dvir, the principal of Idanim, our match school, how the Israeli schools seem to have a week full of celebrations. Her response was that it is more like a month. The preparations and planning is not only for what costume you will wear but how to carry out a theme for the parade and preparing the shelach manot baskets. Every student in school brings a shelach manot package to class on one designated day and then they pick numbers to give it to classmates. On Purim day itself it seemed that every second or third person I saw on the street was also carrying a basket to give to someone else.
On a day when I was teaching during the week before Purim everyone had come to school in pajamas, even the teachers. Another day everyone wore red. It sounds better in Hebrew because Red Day is Yom Adom. I actually heard one teacher explaining why she doesn't wear red or a certain red shirt because it is the color of a specific football (soccer) team. I can't imagine team colors determining one's choice of clothing [NOT!]. Well maybe I can. Each school determines for itself different themes or activities for the week before Purim.
There is also a day for a parade for the entire city. This year the Purim parade scheduled for this past Friday was postponed due to heavy storms and thunder until next Friday. At the schools I was already seeing major art projects that had been worked on by students and teachers for their delegation in the parade. Only one grade per school actually marches in the parade. Other students participate through clubs and organizations to which they belong. And it seems the everyone else lines the street to watch the parade.
This year I attended the reading of Megillat Esther by the Reform congregation YOZMA. The reading was held at the city's cultural arts center. It was announced at the synagogue and on signs around the city to call either someone from the synagogue or the ticket office at the arts center to reserve free tickets. At Friday night Shabbat services Rabbi Nir Barkin, one of the two rabbis serving YOZMA, told me that not only had they filled the 600 seat auditorium but they actually had requests for 1200 tickets. This is a big coup for YOZMA and Reform Judaism in general in Modi'in.
As an aside the Shabbat service on Friday night was lovely. My cousin Natan and his daughter Noam accompanied the singing on their guitars. Natan, who was a NFTY song leader years ago at both the Kutz and Eisner camps had his first chance to play in a Jewish setting when I was a rabbi in Pearl River, NY and I invited him to play from the bima. At this past service he introduced my son Noam's new “Ma Tovu” from Noam''s new album to the congregation. It was nice to hear his song in this setting and the congregation responded to it quite well.
Before the megillah reading on Saturday night the YOZMA organized a carnival with games and refreshments for the kids outside and in the lobby of the center. The youth group, here called Telem,, helped out as do our youth groups here at Sinai. The carnival is called a “Purimon.” combining the word Purim with the word “rimon,” which means pomegranate. The parade is called an “Adloyada” which means “until you don't know.” This refers to the obligation in the Talmud to drink until you don't know the difference between blessed is Mordecai and cursed is Haman.” At the Megillah reading they also hired actors to perform the story in a very humorous way.

There are also fun activity days held at the various schools. These too are called Purimon. In addition, there was a two day break from school - Purim and the day after.
I should mention that unlike Chanukah when in Israel the main holiday food is sufganiyot the fried donuts and not latkes, on Purim the hamantaschen rule here also. All last week extra stalls were set up at the mall to sell packaged shelach manot, costumes, masks, funny hats and lots of hamantaschen. In addition everyone goes to parties; some for kids and others for adults. My brother told me that at his kibbutz they even cancel the regular Friday night dinner, which is often the nicest meal of the week, for their Purim celebration.
In the Ha'Aretz newspaper there was an article announcing the selling of advertising through projected signs onto the Kotel. Even though I found this to be an atrocious idea as an American where we sell advertising on our sacred shrines, stadiums, I could almost believe it. A company like Coca Cola would pay per block of stone for each advertisement. They reported that the experiment was a coke sign and the local vendors claimed it increased sales. Finally at the bottom of the article it was written, “Chag Purim Samayach,” Happy Purim! I discussed this with a few people and at first people did not realize that this was a joke in the spirit of the holiday. Chag Purim Samayach!