Purim commemorates events in the Book of Esther. We celebrate the courage of Queen Esther of Persia and the wisdom of her cousin Mordechai to overcome a plot by the scheming Prime Minister Haman to exterminate all the Jews of Persia. Recently scholars have questioned whether the events in Esther were invented -- but Jews in Europe celebrated their own mini-Purims whenever (miraculously it may have seemed) their community was saved from a pogrom. Over the centuries, Purim has also become a time when Jews parody their own Jewish rituals and beliefs.

At Congregation Beth Sholom the highlight of Purim is the reading of the entire Megillah, the traditional scroll of Esther.  Many members show up for this service in elaborate costumes. Children of all ages run around making a ruckus, and there is enough schnapps (spirits) to lubricate a bus.

Purim is March 8, 2012