Growing up I went to seven different schools – including two high schools. My parents moved a lot. I realized as an adult that I wasn’t really clear on how to create community. But after college I was determined to have what I saw so many others having – a wide circle of friends, acquaintances, neighbors and familiar faces. It doesn’t get easier as you get older. But you can set your mind to it. Maybe you HAVE a community, but it is shifting, or you are changing. Maybe you want new relationships, new friends, new activities. One good way is to use one or more of the Jewish holidays.
Make your own (holiday themed) tradition to build community!
After the pandemic I had a strong desire to reconnect – especially in person – with a community. I wanted to see MORE people all at once. Yes, it’s been a few years, but you may still be building back to your preferred level of social connection. So why not host the party that you’d most enjoy attending!
Remember this idea works for other holidays. It isn’t too early to be plotting a party for Passover – how about hosting a Latke Making party? A friend of mine enlisted women she knew, inviting them to bring their electric frying pans and we all cooked OUTSIDE on her deck. No oily odors in the house!
Purim Party Anyone?
I always thought Purim parties were “Purim themed”, as in Esther, Vashti, Haman, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus. But no! The gals at Between Carpools have more extravagant ideas! Check out this huge list of party themes and suggestions. (You could use them for a birthday party too.)
Speaking of Purim Festivals, do you want a big bash with liquor for the adults and activities for the kids? Join me! I’m joining PJ Library, with Temple Beth Abraham for a wild time in Oakland. I’ll be with my partner-in-crime, 8 year old Amalia, at a craft table for kids. There will be music, food galore, a bounce house and more. Details here.
If you’re not near Oakland, no worries, every synagogue and JCC is offering some fun Purim event. Just look at the websites of the Jewish sites near you.
Purim from a Distance: A Guide for Grandparents
The Jewish Grandparents Network has produced a kit for Jewish grandparents to share a Purim experience with grandchildren ages 3 to 8 years old. The kit is downloadable here.
Know any Jewish grandparents that would like some ideas and support around interacting with their grandchildren from an interfaith home? Share the Jewish Grandparents Network website with them.
Bay Area Purim resources
Jewish Baby Network list
J-weekly list
EVENTS
Hamantaschen Havdalah (for Young Adults 20s and 30s) (Palo Alto)
Vashti’s Cabaret (Los Gatos)
Jewish Families of Color Tot Shabbat (Berkeley)
Men in Interfaith Relationships (Oakland)
Hamantaschen Havdalah (for Young Adults 20s and 30s)
Join us for the whole megillah—fire, friends, and Purim festivities!
Gather around our glowing fire pit as we usher in the week with a short Havdalah ceremony, then stay to celebrate with delicious, artisan hamantaschen (yes, we’re talking the good stuff—no bulk store pastries here!). Sip on signature cocktails and mocktails crafted especially for the evening: the Queen Esther and the Shushan Sunrise.
Bring your own dinner and a cozy blanket to spread out on the lawn. We’ll provide the ambiance, the treats, and the drinks—you bring the good vibes and Purim spirit! (Costumes are optional, but hey, go for it!)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 28
Time: 6:30 to 8pm
Place: Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
Cost: Tickets are $10. Register HERE
Hosted by Bay Area Peninsula Young Adults: 20’s and 30’s – you can find them on Meetup.
And on their website
Vashti’s Cabaret
Join us for a girl-power infused Purim celebration hosted by Eurovision winner Nani Vazana, blending ritual, performance, and female empowerment into an unapologetic Adloyada. Rooted in Sephardic tradition and Ladino song, reimagined with contemporary arrangements and Millennial storytelling, Nani reframes the Purim narrative through Vashti’s lens. Expect moments of guided participation: call-and-response songs, a playful, subversive retelling of the Megillah, and collective toasts to courage, desire, and self-determination.
There’s space for costumes, dance, and mischief, but also for reflection, short interludes that connect the ancient story to modern questions of voice, consent, and power.
For ages 21+
Date: Wed, March 4
Time: 8:00 – 9:30pm
Place: Addison-Penzak JCC, 14855 Oka Rd, Los Gatos
Cost: Tickets start at $36. Register here
For more info contact Maya at mayat@jvalley.org
The event is supported by JIMENA
Jewish Families of Color Tot Shabbat
Gather together for singing with Isaac Zones, dancing, and community building with other multiracial Jewish families in the community hall on the farm! This is an affinity space program for Jewish families that include at least one person of color in their family and is best suited for families with children eight years old and under, but older siblings are always welcome! This event is in partnership with the LUNAR Collective, Urban Adamah, and Jewtina y Co.
Date: Saturday, March 7
Time: 10:30am
Place: Urban Adamah,1151 Sixth St, Berkeley
Sign up here
Men in Interfaith Relationships: A discussion for husbands, boyfriends, partners, fathers and grandfathers
Join other men Jewish or not, to examine interfaith relationships in relation to culture and gender. What are the unique expectations and responses that a man encounters as he creates a home and builds a family life in which his religion is not that of his partner? Join a multi-generational discussion about the assumptions and possibilities surrounding the roles society assigns men. Male identifying individuals in any stage of relationship, and any age are welcome.
Date: Thursday, April 23
Time: 7 to 8:30pm
Place: The Baum Center at Temple Beth Abraham, 325 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
Free, but for security reasons you must register by April 13th.
To register, send your name, email and street address to dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org