I don’t really remember celebrating Purim as a child. I have vague memories from the time my family lived in Virginia and we would go to the JCC weekly to bake challah or watch Jewish children’s programming with a certain sesame street flavor (picture felt puppets in yarmulkes).

 

I have the fuzziest recollections of a Purim party. I think I wore a pink princess dress. Or maybe it was a nylon nightgown with princesses on it (my mother liked to put together costumes for me consisting merely of my own clothes rearranged in unfamiliar ways.)

 

Then we moved to Massachusetts and I’m not quite certain what happened to celebrating Purim. My mother doesn’t like to drive anywhere it takes more than ten minutes to get to, and there was no JCC in Wayland. After those initial happy years celebrating Purim, it seemed to suddenly disappear from the radar of holiday celebrations in my house. And that makes me sad. Purim is a great holiday, and no one celebrates it quite like children.

 

At JFS, we held two Purim parties last week. The first was held by Jewish Family Network. It featured a magician. As if the holiday wasn’t already magical—real magic arrived! The second took place in the children’s room for the children who take part in our Russian Youth Cultural Enrichment programs here at JFS.

 

The children were super dedicated when it came to costumes. Check out the muscles on the policman! Someone’s been turning down the donuts…

 

Purim isn’t the only Jewish Family Network Every month Jewish Family Network offers special programs for families with children ages 0-5. The next event will be a celebration of Passover on April 3rd at the Kennedy Middle School in Natick. For more info contact Malka Young, myoung@jfsmw.org or visit the JFN Facebook page!

 

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This is a photo of children from the Early Childhood Center at Temple Beth Torah in Holliston celebrating Purim with residents at Summerville at Farm Pond in Framingham, as part of the kesher program at JFS.

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photos of JFS Kesher 13 6th graders celebrating Purim with the residents of Heritage in Framingham.  They made shalach manot baskets and put on a Purimspiel.

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