Mar 7 2012
By Dasee Berkowitz at 12:45 pm
My son isn't the only Spiderman fan this Purim.
Purim is upon us and as we dig around in our closets for the perfect costume, the one that my son would love to wear the most is Spiderman, for sure.
While the whole superhero obsession is relatively new in our household, it has struck with a vengeance! Spiderman is the hero de jour and my son can happily be found spinning his web and climbing atop all manner of furniture in our house.
The need to summon superpower strength isn’t something that he does only in the privacy of our own home. Tamir is a pretty confident and social child. When he approaches other kids who aren’t interested in playing with him he cops a “meanie” face and often instructs them to “go to jail.” While he does so many things that I love, this set of activities is among my least favorite. Where is my sweet boy who runs toward me asking for a “hug and kiss Ima” anytime I leave the house? Read the rest of this entry →
By Amy Deutsch at 10:10 am
This is actually me, dressed as Queen Esther. Circa 1985 or so?
Purim has always been one of my favorite Jewish holidays. As a kid, I was so proud to dress up as Queen Esther and be savior of the Jewish people. Even at the young age of 8, I knew that it was rare in Jewish lore to have a woman be the true hero.
But as I got older, I started to really think about the holiday, and wonder whether Esther really was the kind of hero that woman should look up to. Now that I’m a mom, and constantly thinking about the message I’m sending my daughter in our society, I’m questioning how I should feel about Esther even more.
I don’t think it was until I was in college that I actually read through the whole megillah and discovered that it wasn’t just that Vashti didn’t feel like going to the king’s party that night–he wanted her to come to the party naked (well, she was allowed to wear her crown) and she said no. She’s kind of a badass. I loved how she didn’t let the king boss her around–because really, who wants to go stand naked in front of their husband’s friends? Of course the king didn’t like that. He banishes her, and holds a beauty contest to find the next queen. Read the rest of this entry →
Mar 6 2012
By Alina Adams at 1:00 pm
My first Purim, I was 7 years old and newly arrived in the United States from the Soviet Union. I still barely spoke English, and was the only Russian-speaker in the second grade of my San Francisco Jewish Day School. (There was one more boy who spoke Russian, but he was in the fourth grade and, well, way too cool to speak to me.)
Somehow, I managed to understand that costumes would be required. And somehow I had also convinced myself that the kind of homemade costume my mother wanted to send me in–the kind that she’d made back in Odessa: Little Red Riding Hood, the Snow Queen, Ethnic Ukrainian with a garland of flowers in my hair–simply would not do. Read the rest of this entry →
By Amy Deutsch at 10:14 am
When you think about Purim and food, the only thing that really comes to mind is hamantaschen. Now don’t get me wrong–I love hamantaschen. They are totally delicious, fun to make with kids, and you can fill them with almost anything (my husband likes to put a few chocolate chips and a few peanut butter chips in each cookie. Scrumptious). Read the rest of this entry →
Mar 5 2012
By Amy Deutsch at 9:53 am
Purim is one of those Jewish holidays that lends itself so easily to crafting. From making mishloach manot (goody bags) to groggers (noisemakers) to costumes, there’s just so much to do. We’ve collected some of our favorite crafts for you to check out below–enjoy, and get crackin!
Here at Kveller, we have an environmentally-friendly grogger (repurposed from your recycle bin) as well as some great Purim cards, no-sew costumes, and mishloach manot ideas. And did we mention our adorable miniature Purim dolls from Meredith Jacobs?
We also really love this grogger from Creative Jewish Mom. She uses cups, some electrical tape, and other fun stuff to turn something simple into something festive. And that Purim grogger can easily be a music-making maraca during the rest of the year!
The Upper West Side Mom has a great way to reuse those clementine crates we’ve all been collecting throughout the winter. She turns them into a mishloach manot container! Now, you definitely have to fill this with a LOT of snacks, but for a good friend, it’s a perfect Purim gift.
And in case creating a recycled mishloach manot container wasn’t enough for you, Joanna Brichetto at Bible Belt Balabusta takes it even a step further–by creating an edible container out of pretzel dough! Fun to make and delicious too.
What other crafts are out there? What did we miss? Share them below!
Mar 1 2012
By Carla Naumburg at 9:39 am
Purim is just around the corner, so I’m already wondering where I put our blue wigs after last year’s celebration. Yes, I said blue wigs. They have been our family’s signature Purim accessory since well before our girls were born, back when Josh and I would put on some of my old bridesmaid dresses, adorn ourselves with makeup and bling, and wander around our synagogue’s Purim celebration saying, “I’m Estha!” and “No, I’m Estha, you bitch!” in our best Brooklyn accents. We weren’t drunk, but we might as well have been. Read the rest of this entry →
Feb 29 2012
By Kveller at 11:46 am
If you haven’t noticed, Purim is coming! There will be cookies and costumes and graggers and maybe even a little booze, but do you know the reasoning behind this holiday craziness?
See how much you know about the story of Purim and the ways we celebrate it today with our brand spanking new Purim quiz. Challenge your friends, and let us know how you do! And remember, Purim begins on the evening of March 7th, next Wednesday.
Feb 28 2012
By Kveller at 12:48 pm
Purim starts next Wednesday night, read up!
Purim–the holiday known to some as the day you drink too much and shake a gragger and to others as the day you celebrate the rescue of the Jews of Persia from annihilation–arrives next Wednesday night.
It is a favorite for many families since it involves cookies, costumes, and a pretty awesome story. For those of you who would like to brush up on the basics of the holiday, check out our Purim page. And we’ve put together a refresher on the ole Purim story. (Do you remember Vashti, Esther, Mordechai, and Haman?)
And for those of you trying to figure out what costumes to make, Mayim Bialik has a few frugal ideas (and there’s a bonus photo of her from the ’80s dressed in a kimono). You can really dress as anything for Purim, but if you want to go with a holiday-themed outfit, check out all our Purim costume ideas.
Feb 27 2012
By Kveller at 10:06 am
This book can be yours if you win!
The holiday of Purim is coming up soon, so it’s contest time. Why? The word purim means lots, and comes from the fact that the evil Haman drew lots to pick the date on which he would kill all the Jews. Yuck. But we’re taking the idea of drawing lots and making it positive–we’re going to draw lots to choose three winners who will each get a copy of the newest Purim book off the Kar-Ben press, Barnyard Purim, by Kelly Terwilliger.
Barnyard Purim tells the story of crazy farm animals who decide to put on a Purim shpiel (a play telling the story of Purim). A few misunderstandings and zaniness ensues, with lots of fun along the way.
And THREE lucky winners will win a copy! To enter the contest, just leave us a note below saying hello.
Enter by Wednesday, February 29 at 5 pm. Good luck!
Feb 24 2012
By Kveller at 10:23 am
Did you know that Purim is already almost upon us? It starts on the evening of Wednesday, March 7, which means you’ve got just under two weeks to prepare. How does one prepare for Purim, you ask?
Besides baking (or buying) hamantaschen and stocking up on liquor (because you are supposed to get drunk), the best way to get you and the kids into the Purim spirit is to prepare some costumes. You could go with a classic like Queen Esther or King Ahasueros, or go with your own thing. It’s Purim, anything goes! Check out these tips from Mayim Bialik on how to make your own Purim costume on the cheap, and then let us know:
What are your costume ideas for this Purim?
If you’ve got pictures from last year or a sneak peak of this year’s costume, send them to info@kveller.com and we’ll be sure to share with the Kveller community. Also be on the lookout for our 2nd annual Purim Costume Contest, all the more reason to take this whole costume thing very seriously!
