Purim party!





There was all kinds of excitement today. This was the pre-party, out in the courtyard, with lots of dancing. (Can you see the klezmer trio playing in the corner?) Like the Hannukah party, today's ulpan shindig was much more fun than I expected it to be, since everyone was so into it.

Most students at the ulpan really enjoy themselves (in a rah-rah sort of way), which is in general a pretty refreshing change. They're excited to be in Israel and excited to be learning Hebrew, and therefore embrace any chance to express their Jewish heritage. I get the sense that for many, it's sort of a homecoming: finally, everyone speaks the language they've studied for so long in elementary school, everyone celebrates the same holidays, everyone knows the same hymns and songs.



Here are my teacher and classmates decked out in their crazy Purim hats.




And our class practicing the Purim song we had to perform during the assembly. Yes, we adults had to sing a kids' song, wearing crazy hats, in front of other adults. (And, when we finally did, by the end everyone was singing with us and cheering. Yep, definitely a rah-rah group.)




The klezmer trio dropped in to our classroom to signal the official start of the party.




We were served (gross!) wine and "Haman's pockets" &mdash butter pastries filled with either nutella, date paste, or poppy seed paste.




I've heard from more than a few people that most Jewish holidays have the same basis: Someone tried to kill the Jews, they failed, so let's party. Purim definitely fits the stereotype. I'm not sure where the costumes come in, but there you have it.

Purim commemorates the entire book of Esther, when during the Persian empire, the Jews were saved (via the cleverness of Esther and Mordecai, and of course with Providential help) from Haman's plot to eradicate them. It's certainly one of the rowdier holidays; whenever the Purim story is told, you're supposed to yell and hiss and use noisemakers whenever Haman's name is mentioned, to "blot out the name of evil." Ha. There was plenty of hollering and hissing today, both in class and during the assembly (the story was read in Hebrew, English, and Russian above). Noisemakers and tambourines were passed out beforehand, for just that purpose.

Besides costumes, noisemakers and sweets, there is an expectation of heavy drinking. I was told today that you're supposed to drink wine until you can't distinguish Haman (i.e. the bad) from Mordecai (i.e. the good). Ha. Now where's my glass...?