Roosevelt Island Jewish Congregation Presented Will the Shushan Island Chiefs Win the Super Bowl?
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 Thursday night, March 13, with more than 50 people participating in a full evening of activities for all ages.
The evening began with a pizza and salad dinner, organized by Nina Lublin, Michal Melamed, Amber Seligson Levanon, Laurie Stull and Annica Stull-Lane. Cantor Sarah Myerson 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. She was assisted by multiple readers in Hebrew, English, Spanish and Hungarian: Keren Bachi, Susan Berks-Seligson, Ben Fhala, Dvir Koenigstein, Gad Levanon, Anna Levenstein, Michal Melamed, Laura Palermo, Charlie Schwartz, Eden Shaveet and Uri Shusterman.
The reading was interrupted by children and adults wielding graggers to blot out the recitation of Haman, the name of the man who purportedly attempted to destroy the Jews. Led by Cantor Myerson playing the ukelele, the congregation joined in singing songs in Hebrew, English, Yiddish and Ladino about the holiday.
The evening included a Purimschpiel, or play based on this narrative. Written by Mickey Rindler and directed by Janet Falk, Will the Shushan Island Chiefs Win the Super Bowl? drew inspiration from contemporary themes of professional football, Artificial Intelligence and Taylor Swift. It also wove aspects of the current political scene and references to Roosevelt Island.
The cast featured Janet Falk, Michal Melamed, Mickey Rindler, Charlie Schwartz and Annica Stull-Lane as well as children of the RIJC Hebrew School and community.
The audience joined in singing new lyrics to songs by Taylor Swift, I Knew You Were Trouble and Shake It Off. 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, donated by the Levanon-Seligson family, which has become an annual tradition.
Mishloach Manot holiday gifts were prepared and donated by RIJC friends and neighbors.
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 email RIJC President Nina Lublin at ninalublin1@gmail.com. The next Shabbat worship service is Friday, March 28 at the Cultural Center, 548 Main Street.
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