My Big Fat Greek Purim

Chabad of San Clemente celebrated the holiday of Purim at the San Clemente community Center on Sunday March 20.

Purim is an annual Jewish holiday taking place each year on the 14th day of Adar in the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the great events that took place in the fourth century BCE in ancient Persia.

The Jews narrowly escaped certain annihilation through a series of events that, although not significant in themselves, added together to produce the miracle of their deliverance.

(Read the details of the Purim story at the end of this article.)

More than 100 people attended this year's Purim party as the growing Jewish community of Chabad of San Clemente enjoyed the food, the entertainment and reflected upon the special significance of Purim this year where as the Rabbi said, "everything we do whatever we do there is a miracle behind it."

This year's theme at Chabad of San Clemente was "My Big Fat Greek Purim." The festivities featured an elaborate Greek feast including Greek omelets, grape leaves, baklava, Greek salads and the traditional hamatashan, a three-cornered cookie associated with the holiday.

In addition there was the reading of the "megillah," the scoll that tells the entire story of Purim and is considered to be a mitzvah (commandment--good work) both to read and to be heard.

read the megillah twice during the course of the event. 

Another Purim tradition is dressing up in costumes to signify that appearances may be misleading, as happened during the Purim saga.

This year's costumes were quite inventive and hilarious, from the traditional Greek toga and gold circlet crowns worn by Rabbi Slavin and his wife, , to the clown costume worn by Shua Slavin complete with big feet, a bright red nose and a horn that honks along with Mr Spy himself Yossi Slavin to the traditional Queen Esther costume worn by both Tzelda Slavin and Mary McMenamin.  

Dr. Morris Hasson wore his seventies outfit complete with chest hair and afro along with the obligatory jump suit while Steve Grayer entertained the children with his ventriloquist dummy.

Entertainment was provided by local musician and this article's author Mark Siet on guitar playing traditional Jewish melodies, and by magician Rusty Brick. Rusty performed a magic show complete with blindfolded juggling and magic tricks providing thrills and chills for all.

One of the highlights of the Purim program was the amazing panorama that Mike Jablon created to illustrate the Jews throughout history with the Greek civilization. We asked Mike about this.

San Clemente Patch: Tell us about the Greek-Jewish connection 

Mike Jablon:  It is just place where Jews settled in the exile. During the Babylonian exile Jews scattered in all directions and one of the main places they settled.  

SP:  What are some of your Purim recollections.

Mike Jablon: As I have gone through stages of my life it went from the fun here; I look around and see all the kids with the groggers (noise makers) and that was my childhood. I went through life as a young kid like everyone else in here with the groggers but the actual story of Purim has resonated within me on a deeper level from shaking groggers to the real miracle of the events that took place over a roughly nine month period. Events that were seemingly disconnected in reality were very well orchestrated by God.

We stopped to get a few more recollections and comments. 

SP: What does Purim mean for you, any memories 

Roy Margel:  Growing up there used to be a carnival but not really.  I do this because I want to see a community happen, that’s what important to me now that we finally have a Jewish Community.

Tzipporah Slavin:  Every year we do a different country. Just call it Purim around the world.  This year we just decided to do Greek.

Rabbi Slavin: If you read the entire story of Purim there is no miracle. The whole story of Purim happened through nature. It is the way God is concealed in the world and what it teaches us is that we can find the miracle in every day of our life. Everything we do whatever we do there is a miracle behind it.   

The story behind Purim: Haman, the prime minister under King Ahasuerus, wanted to destroy the Jews. What he did not know was that the king’s wife Queen Esther was Jewish and that she was doing everything she could to prevent this disaster from happening. 

So it came to be when the King Ahasuerus asked the royal records to be record in order to reward on of his subjects for deeds past done the name of Mordechai Esther's uncle came up.  When Haman was asked how such a person should be rewarded he of course thought that the king was speaking of him.  He therefore said this person should be rewarded with every gift and be second only to the king in power. When the King read Morechai’s name as the one to be honored Haman was finished. The tables had turned and he and his sons were killed instead.