So much of Jewish programming in the US is holiday oriented. That’s rather perfect because Judaism has SO MANY HOLIDAYS! Coming right up is Purim. It begins at sunset on March 13th. Purim is typically offered up as a sanitized story. The true story is quite dark. All the Jews are marked for death. A Jewish woman sacrifices herself by agreeing to marry the Persian king, Ahasuerus, who is quite barbaric. Then she risks instant death by approaching him uninvited. Rarely is there any mention of all the deaths of the evil Haman and his sons or the barbaric way in which the king vacillates between which side gets to murder the other. Human history is grim.
The mitzvoth (commandments) of Purim are all quite cheerful.
- Hear the Magillah read
- Give to the needy
- Give food gifts to friends
- Have a feast!
Most readings of the scroll of Esther involve dressing up, going to shul and making lots of noise to drown out the name of Haman whenever it is read. Groggers are usually handed out – the little metal ones. Families may bring their own – often the big wooden kind. Make your own grogger.
Hamentashen are made and eaten. There are many different fillings for these triangle cookies. Poppy seed, apricot, cherry and even sweet ones with chocolate chips or Nutella. Make some yourself – I love these recipes. Or try something new, like this.
Also, please join me for the Community Purim Carnival in Oakland! (Listed below) PJ Library will be there.
EVENTS
Shabbat Morning Services (Pleasanton)
Hatha Yoga 1-2 with a Jewish Twist (Oakland)
Community Shabbat Dinner for Young Adults (Berkeley)
Purim ETZtravaganza (Palo Alto)
Purim Karaoke in the Palace (Pleasanton)
Motown Purim Shabbat & Happy Hour (San Mateo)
Jewish Mindfulness Meditation (Oakland)
Community Purim Carnival! (Oakland) – join me!
A Wicked, Wicked Spiel and Carnival! (Oakland)
Kid-ish Club Purim! (Lafayette)
Inside Out Purim! (San Rafael)
Shabbat Morning Services
Shabbat morning worship is a beautiful spiritual experience. The gentleness of the hour, the light streaming through our gorgeous stained glass windows, make for a perfect setting for prayer.
Shabbat morning is when you get to hear the Torah being chanted. We always follow that with a participatory conversation about the Torah portion.
Dates: Saturday, March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7
Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Place: Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Ct., Pleasanton
https://www.bethemek.org
Hatha Yoga 1-2 with a Jewish Twist
We will explore a variety of postures (asanas) designed to increase flexibility, strength, balance, and relaxation. You will discover the benefits of yoga through gentle movements, breathing exercises (pranayama), and guided relaxation. Cindy Berk, a Y-200 Yoga Instructor, will be leading each session.
• Connect with your body and mind
• Calm your nervous system
• Improve your physical and mental well-being
No prior yoga experience is necessary. Bring a yoga mat or a comfortable blanket. The Temple will provide a limited number of yoga mats.
Dates: Sunday, March 2 and March 23
Time: 9:45am
Place: Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland
Register
Community Shabbat Dinner for Young Adults:
Promoting Healthy, Safe Relationships for All in the Bay Area Jewish Community
Co-hosted at Netivot Shalom by JLeaders, Honeymoon Israel, and Shalom Bayit. This special evening will bring together members of the Bay Area Jewish community to share in the warmth of Shabbat while engaging in an important conversation about domestic violence prevention and establishing healthy relationship boundaries. $18 for dinner. Online registration required.
Date: Friday, March 7
Time: 7pm
Place: Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave, Berkeley
Hosted by Netivot Shalom in partnership with JLeaders, Shalom Bayit, and Honeymoon Israel
Purim ETZtravaganza
Join us for our annual family-friendly Purim carnival! We’ll play our way through the story of Purim, with activities ranging from visiting queen Esther in her chambers to pony rides. Baked goods will be available for purchase at the Shushan bakery market stall. Cash, Venmo and Zelle only!
Date: Sunday, March 9
Time: 9:30am
Place: Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma St, Palo Alto
https://www.etzchayim.org
This free event is open to the community. Children in Kindergarten or younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Contact Aliza with any questions.
Purim Karaoke in the Palace
Come on down to the Shushan Lounge for a rollicking evening of Purim Karaoke and Megillah reading, where our skilled chanters will recite the Scroll of Esther while the rest of us cheer and boo our favorite heroes and villain.
We’ll hear Purim parody performances of popular karaoke hits throughout the Megillah reading. Afterward, we’ll have more freestyle karaoke offerings.
MUST BE 21 OR OLDER.
Date: Thursday, March 13
Time: 7:30 – 10pm. Doors at 7pm
Place: Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Court, Pleasanton
Register here.
Motown Purim Shabbat & Happy Hour
Join us Friday, March 14 for a pre-service happy hour in Fellowship Hall with light snacks and alcohol infused Mordechai-tais, Esther Persia-Politans, and Haman-ade (non-alcoholic).
Stay for our Motown Shabbat service and for hamantaschen at our Oneg following service. All ages welcome. Costumes are encouraged!
5:15-6:15 p.m. Happy Hour
6:30 p.m. Shabbat Service followed by Hamantaschen
RSVP here for Happy Hour
Date: Friday, March 14
Time: Begins at 5:15pm
Place: Peninsula Temple Beth El, 1700 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo
Please RSVP here by Tuesday 3/11 for Happy Hour so we can plan accordingly.
Questions? Contact Ronnie Weisberg.
Jewish Mindfulness Meditation
“Be joyful! It’s the Jewish month of Adar!” The Rabbinic Sages taught that the month of Adar, the month when Purim occurs, is the most joyous time of the year. In this month’s meditation session, we will focus on how to bring more joy into our lives.
Join Steve Goldstein as he leads a monthly Jewish Guided Meditation session in cultivating middot (attributes) such as gratitude, loving kindness, joy, forgiveness/self-forgiveness, and compassion. All are welcome, both experienced meditators and those who are new to meditation.
You are welcome to come to one or all the sessions. Each class is a stand-alone session.
Date: Saturday, March 15
Time: 9:00am
Place: Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland
Register
Join me for a community Purim Carnival!
Community Purim Carnival!
PJ Library, Temple Beth Abraham and Building Jewish Bridges are thrilled to invite you to a fun filled Carnival!
We will have:
* Bounce house
* Face painting
* Balloon twisting
* Purim crafts
* Hamentashen Cookie decorating
* DJ, dance floor, and prizes
* Games and prizes
* Delicious triangle treats and Adult beverages
Please note, I am in charge of the Purim craft table. I’m negotiating with my seven year old partner-in-crafting about what we will make. Could be masks, could be cookies…
Date: Sunday, March 16
Time: 2 to 5pm
Place: Temple Beth Abraham, 327 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
Register here
A Wicked, Wicked Spiel and Carnival!
Join Temple Sinai for a family friendly celebration of Purim on Sunday, March 16! We will have carnival games and attractions, food for sale and a Purim Spiel called A Wicked, Wicked Spiel. You will not want to miss out on all the fun!
9:00 – 9:50am: Purim Carnival
10:00 – 10:55am: A Wicked, Wicked Spiel
11:00am – 1:00pm: More Purim Carnival
Prices:
Each child needs a wristband for unlimited access to the carnival games and attractions. Wristbands are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
Meal deals are $6 (includes hot dog, chips, fruit, drink and one hamantaschen). Lunch and snacks will also be available for purchase the day of the carnival.
Sunday, March 16
Time: 9am to 1pm
Place: Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland
Register for advance price by 10:00am on Friday, March 14
Kid-ish Club Purim!
Kid-ish Club is a Temple Isaiah initiative offering activities for tots (ages 0-5) and the adults who love them!
Join us for our second annual Kid-ish Club Purim Carnival! Experience the fun of a Purim Carnival designed with our tots in mind. We’ll start with a Purim song session with Bri, followed by carnival games, arts and crafts, bounce house and more. Come in costume for a joyous afternoon getting into the spirit of Purim. For our younger elementary school students who want the thrill of a Purim Carnival, but less chaos we suggest coming to this event.
Date: Sunday, March 16
Time: 3:30 to 5:30pm
Place: Temple Isaiah, 945 Risa Road, Lafayette
Cost: $20/family
RSVP by Thursday, March 6. Questions, contact Joy Plummer at joyp@temple-isaiah.org. To sign-up for this event, please click here.
Inside Out Purim!
Meet us in Shushan to celebrate Purim! We know that, for this holiday, what’s up is down and what’s down is up, but for this one evening only, everything will be…Inside Out?!
Join us for an evening of storytelling and merriment inspired by the film Inside Out with a special Purim Spiel written by Toby Pechner, our Director of Family Worship and Songleading. We’ll cheer for Esther and our amazing Purim Spiel cast, summon our heartiest boos for Haman, and celebrate in community. Costumes are highly encouraged for anyone who is interested…anything goes! There will be an open bar for adults, and plenty of treats for kids.
Schedule for the evening:
5:30 pm Dinner in Social Hall (RSVP below)
6:15 pm Purim Spiel in Sanctuary (no need to Register, just come)
7:00 pm Teen After Party (register HERE)
Be sure to RSVP BELOW if attending the Dinner so we can have enough food on hand for everyone.
Date: Sunday, March 16
Time: 5:30 to 7pm
Place: Rodef Sholom, 70 North San Pedro Rd, San Rafael & virtual
Can’t join in person, please feel free to view on ZOOM.
Registration info here