As the sun shone bright between tall oak trees lining Hillcrest Drive, the Purim Carnival hosted by Temple Adat Elohim on March 1 was a warm, whimsical celebration of community and perseverance. Children played in bouncy houses, a petting zoo, and a variety of game setups, wearing costumes ranging from classic biblical figures to Batman and princesses. Families gathered and chatted, enjoying snacks and music. Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday celebrating Jewish freedom, arising from the Book of Esther and observed on March 2-3. After walking past the police officers and going through security, intended to protect community members from antisemitic attacks, attendees were greeted with music, activities and a carnival welcoming both Jewish and non-Jewish attendees looking for fun.
Before the carnival, the temple hosted a spiel, a play written by the cantor, a member of the clergy specialized in leading musical prayer, reenacting the story of Purim. This year, Cantor David Shukiar was inspired by his love of the Beatles and previous themes including covers of “Mamma Mia” and “Hamilton.” Members of the temple could volunteer to participate in the play starting the first week of January. “It’s a silly holiday,” Shukiar said, accounting for several traditions including costumes, music, carnival games and drinking challenges.
As the spiel recounts, Purim celebrates the story of Queen Esther in her bravery to free the Jewish people from a tyrannical oppressor. “We celebrate strong women taking a stand,” Shukiar said.
After teaching the story of Purim and acting in the spiel, Rabbi Barry Dimond took on the role of DJ, bringing announcements on a microphone while Kidz Bop tunes played behind him. “The significance of the [Purim] celebration is […] determination. [Despite] all of the trials and vicissitudes that Jews have experienced at different times, we are still around to celebrate our existence and are hopefully thriving as a people,” Dimond said.
Meanwhile, Doreen Austud, event coordinator, was busy organizing volunteers. “It’s hard to get volunteers to help out at the event, and just trying to get people here, especially with the current events that occur and what’s going on in the world,” Austud said.
Free to attend, guests could purchase tickets which profited the temple to exchange for tacos, shaved ice or hamentashen. Hamentashen are triangular, jam-filled cookies, representative of Haman, the villain of the Purim story’s hat or ears. Austud, for instance, prefers Nutella hamentashen when celebrating. “It’s really fun. [We] celebrate surviving an attempted genocide on our people [by] dressing up in costumes and just having fun and being jolly and merry,” Austud said.
The carnival wrapped up with a pie-the-rabbi-in-the-face challenge, which commenced the festival with laughter and excitement. In addition to Temple Adat Elohim’s carnival, other temples, such as Temple Etz Chaim, hosted similar celebrations, and Jewish families celebrated with traditional food and storytelling. “People are taught that the actual Purim story may be the first Purim spiel […], and that’s why we do these silly plays and games. [Purim] is a real celebratory holiday,” Shukiar said.