March 6, 2022
Learning Moment: Did you know that this year is a Jewish leap year?! That means that there are not 12 months, but 13 in 5782! And we just finished Adar I, and now we get to do the whole month again with Adar II! And this time, we get to celebrate Purim!
Scroll down for more learning on Purim and to vote in our great Hamentashen debate!
Saturday, March 12: Purim Carnival for Grades 4, 5, 6 Sunday, March 13: Purim Carnival for Grades K-3 Wednesday, March 16: Erev Purim! (Megillah Reading and Purim Spiel) Sunday, March 20: Purim Fun for Kids Under Age 5
BESSY is bringing back their Mishloach Manot (Purim bags) fundraiser- with a twist! Pick from a regular size gift bag for $9 or a MEGA gift bag for $18. All the Mishloach Manot will include treats, hamentashen, and some fun surprises: a great gift for any age! Mishloach Manot will be delivered on Sunday, March 13 or can be picked up from Beth Emet when the office is open the week of March 14- March 18. All proceeds benefit BESSY, Beth Emet’s high school youth group. Email Sam today!
This year we are distributing individual mishloach manot (Purim bags) at our Purim celebrations. Bags have been filled by volunteers with hamentashen, chocolate treats & a special surprise! Please contact Bekki with any questions!
Fill out a quick poll and share your favorite Hametashen filling. You can even send in your favorite recipe! Voting closes on Wednesday at 1:00 pm.
Share your vote today!
Come one come all to BESSY’s annual Purim carnival! Planned and run by BESSY, Beth Emet’s own high school youth group, this event has something for everyone. To ensure physical distancing and to safely accommodate all attendees, we have scheduled three separate times to attend the carnival.
Wristbands are $12 per child, which includes unlimited games (and awesome prizes). Adults are free! All proceeds from the carnival benefit BESSY. All who attend must be vaccinated and masked at all times.
Grades 4, 5, 6- Saturday, March 12 from 7:00-8:00 pm We will have a parent program during this time as well!
Grades 2 and 3- Sunday, March 13 from 9:30-10:30 am Parents attend the carnival with their children. Beit Sefer will start at 10:30 am for grades 2 and 3 so all can attend.
Grades K and 1- Sunday, March 13 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm Parents attend the carnival with their children. Beit Sefer will end early at 11:00 am for grades K and 1 so that all can attend.
Sunday, March 20 at 9:30 am Come enjoy an age-appropriate Purim spiel and activities at Beth Emet, and take home a gift bag. Costumes are encouraged for kids and adults–we want to see your Purim attire!
Wednesday, March 16 at 7:00 pm (in-Person & virtual)
Join on LiveControl It’s been two years since we’ve been able to have Purim in-person, and this is one spiel for the books! We’ve got so much to catch up on! Approximately 90 years of joyous songs, celebrations, and music. You thought you knew all the words to top hits, think again! We’re singing it “Purim style!” This year’s Purim Spiel, Puttin’ On the Skits: A Purim Schlep Through Time, will take us on a journey from the 1930s through the present. Whether you attend in-person or participate online (via LiveControl), we promise you’ll have a good time and much-needed laughter!
Costumes are encouraged and kids of all ages are welcome!
We hope you will join us in person! Pre-registration is not required – just be sure to wear a mask and have everyone’s vaccination information on file. (If you haven’t already provided the details, submit all vaccination and booster information here.)
Beth Emet is still requiring vaccination and masking for attendees. The cast is fully vaccinated and may be maskless when performing
The story of Purim is found in the Book of Esther, one of the books in the Ketuvim (Writings) section of the Bible. It is set in the land of Persia (current day Iran) at the time when Ahashverosh was king. King Ahashverosh held a banquet in the capital city of Shushan and ordered his queen, Vashti, to come and dance before his guests. She refused to appear and lost her royal position. Acting on advice from his counselors, Ahashverosh held a pageant to choose a new queen. Mordechai, a Jewish man living in Shushan, encouraged his cousin, Esther, to enter the competition. Esther won but, following the advice of her cousin, did not reveal her Jewish origin to the king. Read more. And/or for a contemporary interpretation of the Book of Esther, read Adam Gopnik’s A Purim Story that appeared in The New Yorker in February 2002.
In the Book of Esther, we read that Purim is a time for “feasting and merrymaking,” as well as for “sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor” (Esther 9:22). It is traditional to eat Hamantashen, three-cornered pastries reminiscent of Haman’s hat (or ears. Hamantashen in Hebrew is Oznei Haman [Haman’s ears]) filled with poppy seeds, fruit preserves, chocolate, or other goodies.
In addition to reading the Megillah (Book of Esther), celebrants dress in costumes, have festive parties, perform “Purim-spiels,” silly theatrical adaptations of the story of the Megillah, send baskets of food (mishloach manot) to friends, and give gifts to the poor (matnot l’evyonim). Read more about customs and rituals.
What do Halloween, Purim, and Murder Mystery Parties have in common….? Costumes, Costumes, and Costumes! Watch last year’s costume event by the Selch family for some creative ideas for Purim costumes. Guaranteed to make you laugh!
It’s that time to make Hamentashen again! Watch last year’s event by Rabbi Memis-Foler to get some tips and tricks to make your perfect hamentashen this year!
