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Local Temples Host Car Parades and Drive-In Festivals to Mark Purim Holiday

Published on Saturday, February 27, 2021 | 5:57 am
 

Both the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center (PJTC) and the Chabad of Pasadena are in the middle of celebrating Purim, a Jewish holiday.

One way these organizations are getting more people involved is by getting creative, and this year, with the pandemic, both organizations are hosting car parades.

At the Chabad of Pasadena, a family drive-in Purim celebration happens on Friday, February 26, at the parking lot at 1090 E. Walnut Street, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Families can drive into the parking lot, remain in their car, and do Megillah reading, pick up pre-packaged “mishloach manot”  (or gift baskets) to give away to their friends in the congregation, enjoy some fun entertainment and songs, and get a chance to win prizes for their Purim costumes.

It’s a safe way to mark this Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of Jewish people from genoicide plotted by a Persian official around the  4th century BC. Haman, an Achaemenid Persian Empire official, convinced his King to kill all the Jews in a city called Shushan because they refused to acknowledge his civil authority. But Queen Esther, who was Jewish but had been concealing her identity, interceded, and the Jews were saved.

At the PJTC, the Purim festival culminates Sunday, February 28, in a Purim CAR-nival, a drive-thru event where members of the congregation come in costumes in their cars that are also joyously decorated for the occasion. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., cars will be on display during reserved time slots on the parking lot at 1434 N. Altadena Drive.

But the PJTC’s celebration started on Tuesday, February 23, when members started planning for their home-cooked Purim meal by an online ordering platform, and then picked up the meals Thursday, observing social distancing and wearing masks as required. Reading of the Book of Esther was streamed online Thursday, after which they enjoyed a virtual community meal on screen.

On Sunday, youth and families will have the opportunity to watch a kid-friendly version of the Megillah reading as part of the Purim CAR-nival.

As part of the CAR-nival, participants can donate to tzedakah (Jewish word for charity) and take a shot, from their cars, at dunking the clergy in the PTJC’s first-ever dunk tank.

“We have a lot of traditions on Purim of dressing up in costumes and a theme of things being hidden. And that’s because Queen Esther, her identity was hidden,” Melissa Levy, Director of Congregational Engagement at PJTC, said. “The idea of also being able to do something publicly for Purim and really make a stand and not succumb to the depression of the pandemic for this holiday in particular seems really important, because it’s also about us standing up for ourselves and teaching that to our children.”

The meal, the reading of the Megillah, or the Book of Esther, the gift-giving and the charity are the four “mitzvah,” or commandments, of Purim, Levy said.

“You’re supposed to give to those in need that you might not know, but you’re also supposed to acknowledge friends and family and loved ones and neighbors and give them something nice for the holiday,” she added. “So those who may not be able to get out right now – they’re isolated, they’re lonely – they’re going to be visited by a costumed child who knocks on their door and gives them a goodie box from a safe distance away.”

To learn more about PJTC’s Purim celebration and to reserve your spot for Sunday’s CAR-nival, visit www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ca9ae2fa3fcc25-purim or www.pjtc.net.

For more information about Chabad of Pasadena’s celebration events, visit www.chabadpasadena.com.

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