[photo] What do Jews do, Purim: My Rabbi, The Genie

You are about to see the inner-sanctum of my synagogue. Yes, it’s allowed.

What you are looking at is the bima in the main sanctuary of my synagogue. Our clergy and educational staff dress up in a theme each year. The Incredibles, Beauty and the Beast and so on. This year, they did Aladdin. No one knows exactly how they decide which person gets to be which character but I understand that there was a quite a fight over who got to be the flying carpet (complete with a drapery rod through the top, over the shoulders - oy).

The bright light at the top of the picture is the eternal flame or lamp. Below it is the Ark which holds our Torahs. Then, the kids in costume are all around the bima. On this holiday, there is mayhem all around as we read the story of Esther, also known as the Megillah. You can see Aladdin on the back left - that’s our junior rabbi.

After the Megillah is read, we have eating (what? it’s a Jewish holiday; of course there is eating) and dancing. This year, the band was incredibly loud but everyone worked up a good shvitz.

Hag Sameach, everyone.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:20 pm March 20th, 2008 in Culture, Jewish, Judaism, Parenting, Religion

Comments

11 Responses to “[photo] What do Jews do, Purim: My Rabbi, The Genie”

1 Joseph on March 20th, 2008 9:37 pm

So it IS like Halloween!

Without the skulls and pumpkins and candy and …

hmmm… Maybe it isn’t like halloween.
2 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 9:39 pm

Thanks for reading and commenting, Joseph. It was a lot of fun, especially because my kids are old enough that we don’t really have to run after them anymore. Which has always been kind of a futile attempt in the craziness of this holiday but you know, you always think you need to.
3 Joseph on March 20th, 2008 9:42 pm

So your kids don’t get to dress up?

Do they at least get to eat some sort of sweet holiday treats?
4 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 9:47 pm

Oh yeah - all those kids are in costume.

My middle child dressed up as a twin to her doll. My youngest dressed up as a healthy child (since he’s been sick for several days) and my oldest didn’t dress up but read from the Torah the appropriate portion that tells the story.

I dressed up as a media star (read: I looked like I always do, including no makeup; I’m being facetious). And I try to keep my husband out of the blog.
5 Jill Miller Zimon on March 20th, 2008 9:50 pm

Oh yes - the treats are the hamantashen! Come on, Joseph - I know you read this blog. The Latke v. hamantash debate, riiiight?
6 TimFerris on March 21st, 2008 8:15 am

My eyes are failing–what’s that big blue thing in the back, right of middle?
7 Joseph on March 21st, 2008 8:23 am

That’s the Genie, dude. aka Robin Williams.
8 Jill Miller Zimon on March 21st, 2008 1:30 pm

Hi Tim - yes, that’s the Genie from the movie Aladdin - it was Robin Williams’ voice if you remember. My senior Rabbi was inside.
9 Carole Cohen on March 21st, 2008 3:01 pm

How fun! I have a technical question, is there a difference between hag sameach and chag sameach? Just curious!
10 Jill Miller Zimon on March 21st, 2008 3:48 pm

Hi Carole - nope, none at all - just a transliteration thing.
11 John McCain tells press in Israel that Purim is Jewish Halloween, Lieberman corrects him, again | Writes Like She Talks on March 21st, 2008 7:45 pm

[…] - I want to add that if he or any of his staff or volunteers had been reading my blog posts about Purim, they would never have made such a […]