Every year the holiday of Purim is celebrated with packed synagogues, crowded family meals, and large community carnivals. This year, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic, synagogues had to come up with creative alternatives.
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Temple Beth Hillel in Los Angeles, for example, will celebrate Purim on Feb. 25 and 26 with drive-through carnivals, outdoor services, and "holiday-in-a-box" packages that congregants can open at home.
Costume-clad families will drive through a series of games in the synagogue's parking lot, including a coin toss for charity, Senior Rabbi Sarah Hronsky said.
Hronsky's more liberal Jewish tradition allows for the religious aspect of Purim, which includes reading from the biblical scroll of Esther, to be conducted through online services.
Worshipping via Zoom has brought unexpected blessings, Hronsky said, allowing congregants who have moved away or elderly members who have difficulty coming to the synagogue to participate.
In the orthodox Jewish community, where tradition holds that the story of Purim should be read in person, some synagogues are hosting numerous small events so congregants can gather without being in a large crowd. Others are holding services outdoors.
In the Hassidic Chabad movement, several synagogues in cold locations will hold outdoor "Purim in the Arctic" services and parties, said Chabad spokesperson Motti Seligson. Congregants will don winter coats and hats as their Purim costumes.
"Chabads across the country are encouraging people to really get into it," Seligson said. "If we ever needed a shot in the arm of joy around Purim, it would be this year."
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