You're Invited to Purim at Temple Sholom!

On Saturday, February 27, please join the congregation at Temple Sholom of Fanwood/Scotch Plains (corner of Martine and LaGrande Avenues in Fanwood) at 6pm for a Havdalah service and potluck supper. Kindly rsvp to 908-889-4900 and let us know if you would like to bring a salad, side dish or main dish that serves eight.

At 7pm, we will continue with prayer, Megillah reading and a family-friendly Purim spiel. Costumes welcome!

On Sunday, February 28, Temple Sholom will host its annual Purim Carnival at Union Catholic High School, 1600 Martine Avenue, Scotch Plains. The carnival, which runs from 10:00am to 12:30pm, will feature a telling of the Purim story followed by games, crafts, face painting, raffles, a costume contest, prizes and great food for families to enjoy. Admission is free. Cost for game tickets and food varies.

In the spirit of Purim, the carnival booths will be run by SPANCY (Scotch Plains and Nearby Community Youth) to raise funds for the group, which is made up students in grades 8 through 12. A portion of the funds raised will also be donated to the relief effort in Haiti via the Union for Reform Judaism. Additionally, Temple Sholom asks that people bring individually wrapped, kid-friendly, healthy snack foods or juice boxes to be donated to children in the afterschool programs of the YMCA of Plainfield.

The food and beverages for sale at the carnival will be sponsored, prepared and served by the Temple Sholom Men's Club, including hot dogs, chicken fingers and plenty of Hamantashen, the traditional, triangle-shaped filled pastries of Purim.

This year, Purim begins on the evening of February 27 and continues until sundown on February 28. Purim is one of the most joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jews in Persia were saved from extermination. According to the story, a man named Haman, who was an advisor to King Ahasuerus, was enraged when Mordechai – a Jew – refused to bow down to him.  Mordechi pleaded with his cousin Esther, who was married to King Ahasuerus, to intervene. Risking her own life, Esther convinced her husband to spare the Jews, and Haman was put to death.