Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation Celebrates Purim and Performs The Trial of the Millennium Purimschpiel

Janet Falk reports on the annual Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation (RIJC) Purim celebration held last Wednesday. According to Ms. Falk;

Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation Presented The Trial of the Millennium for Purim

Purim, a joyous and comedic holiday celebration, filled with fun and parody based on the Biblical story of Esther, was celebrated by the Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation (RIJC)

on Wednesday night, March 20, with more than 60 people participating in a full evening of activities for all ages.

After a pizza dinner, Rabbi Joel Shaiman, dressed as Freddy Mercury,

led the worship service. It included the reading of the megillah or traditional scroll, which recounts the story of the holiday, marking the survival of the Jewish people at a time of a threatened massacre. Assisted by Keren Bachi, Gad Levanon, Anna Levenstein, Michal Melamed and Rachel Rekhter, the reading was interrupted by children

and adults wielding groggers to blot out the recitation of the name of the man who purportedly attempted to destroy the Jews. The congregation joined in singing prayers to music from Queen and Lady Gaga.

The service alternated with scenes from a Purimschpiel, or play based on this narrative. Written by Mickey Rindler and directed by Janet Falk, The Trial of the Millennium presented a courtroom drama in which witnesses pointed out the misdeeds of the villain Haman, who rebutted with his own interpretation. The cast featured King (and Chief Justice) Ahasuerus (Tsoni Peled),

Haman (Mickey Rindler),

Mordechai (Scott Piro),

Queen Vashti (Janet Falk),

Zeresh (Michal Melamed) and Esther (Emily Kalb).

Other cast members included children of the RIJC Religious School and Island community.

The Purimschpiel's broad humor and political-themed puns, plus references to Roosevelt Island affairs, drew laughter, groans and cheers from the audience, who applauded enthusiastically.

The evening concluded with refreshments and delicious Hamantaschen , a triangular holiday fruit pastry treat, baked by the Levanon-Seligson family, which has become an annual tradition.

For more information about the Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation, which is the oldest, active egalitarian congregation on the Island, please visit www.rijc.org or call 212-688-0003.

The next Shabbat family Pot Luck Dinner is Friday, April 12 at 6:00 pm at a neighbor’s home, followed by worship services at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary at the Cultural Center, 548 Main Street.

The Spring Learning series, Fake News?: Scripture, Midrash, Story and History in Our Observances of Purim, Passover and Shavuot, with Rabbi Joel Shaiman, will begin on Monday, April 15 at 7:30 pm.

More info on the Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation at their web site.