During March, JCCs from Florida to Calgary and from California to Boston all hopped on the Purim celebration bandwagon. Costume parades, bouncy houses, and hamantaschen were plentiful, and crafts, face painting, carnival games, and more abounded. Most of all, our JCCs overflowed with the magic, connection, and sense of belonging that always emerge whenever JCC communities come together!
- Purim at the Arthur M. Glick JCC in Indianapolis, Indiana, included fun for all from the youngest revelers to the Silver Sneakers crew!
- At the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island in New York, hundreds of attendees enjoyed a Purim Carnival that featured a bouncy house, games, crafts, hamantaschen baking, balloon art, face painting, and more! Kids and families dressed to impress in majestic costumes adhering to the event’s royalty theme.
- What an incredible Purim Carnival of Lights the Weinstein JCC in Richmond, Virginia, hosted! The community celebrated with glow-in-the-dark games, laser tag, neon face painting, and creative Purim arts and crafts, including grogger- and mask-making. DJ David Sporn kept everyone dancing to popular Israeli hits, while the freeze dance contest and costume parade brought out the best costumes and spirits, helping to build a bright future!
- In Las Vegas, the JCC of Southern Nevada partnered with PJ Library for a Hamantaschen Bake and Take, where a good time was had by all—and the hamantaschen were delicious!
- The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, New Jersey, celebrated Purim at the Annual Rubach Family Purim Celebration, a beloved tradition that brings families together for a day packed with fun and festivity. The event featured exciting rides, giant slides, inflatables, games, creative costumes, and sweet treats. Staying true to the JCC’s commitment to inclusivity, an early sensory-friendly hour was offered for families with special needs. The event also supports local food drives, with attendees encouraged to give back while enjoying an unforgettable Purim experience.
- The St. Louis J in Missouri celebrated Purim with a staff costume contest; a parade full of early childhood students, teachers, and parents; a Purim party in Adult Day at the J; and yummy hamantaschen prepared by our own Kitchen J!
- Families stepped into a world of festive joy in Newport News at the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula’s Purim celebration! Children delighted in PJ Library’s Plinko game and unleashed their inner archaeologists at the Dig It Camp Excavators station. Towering slides and colorful bounce houses provided endless entertainment, and the costume creativity on display was truly impressive. The carnival games and face-painting station were huge hits, and, of course, there were lots of hamantaschen! From start to finish, Purim was a memorable day of community, laughter, and tradition as the community celebrated the joyous holiday together!
- The Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater, New Jersey, kicked off its Purim festivities with a lively costume parade featuring students in Blaustein Early Childhood Center and JCares Interns, along with their families. Following the parade, everyone enjoyed making creative holiday crafts.
- A costume contest, activities, games, inflatables, and music were among the highlights of the day at the Purim celebration at the Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills, New York.
- At the East Valley JCC in Chandler, Arizona, the early learning center celebrated Purim all week long! Special dress-up days from Monday to Friday built excitement and anticipation for the center’s fun, family Purim Kabbalat Shabbat and costume parade!
- Jewish for Good at the Levin JCC in Durham, North Carolina, celebrated Purim at its annual Jewish Food Festival—a much-loved event that truly embodies the organization’s mission and vision to be a vibrant hub for the Jewish community! Nearly 1,000 people came out to enjoy delicious favorites from the J Café; sample bagels, blintzes, and more from local small business vendors; celebrate Purim with a fire juggler and costume parade; and take selfies with the pickle mascot! Sales of admission and raffle tickets, t-shirts, and food generated more than $20,000 for the food pantry.
- A Purim spiel that featured a special troupe of actors, a costume parade, a magic show, and, of course, hamantaschen were the attractions at the Purim celebration at the Boulder JCC in Colorado. A sensory-friendly hour prior to the festivities along with PJ Library crafts and a book swap were other highlights of the special day!
- The JCC East Bay in Berkeley, California, celebrated Purim with amazing costumes, fun parades, mishloach manot, carnival games, Purim spiels, face painting, delicious treats, and groggers galore! In addition to community-wide festivities, there was a pre-school celebration and a week of merriment in Berkeley Afterschool.
- Purim at the Mandel JCC in Beachwood, Ohio, included costumed pre-K and kindergarten students—and their parents—parading throughout the building and a Purim edition Tot Shabbat. Staff celebrated with lunch and a costume contest and trivia, complete with prizes and gifts!
- Nearly 300 people came to the JCC of the Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to celebrate Purim that it was a full house of smiling faces. Everyone had a blast playing matzah ball toss, Esther’s bowl-a-rama, Persian putt-putt, and prize drop-a-latke, as well as burning off the hamantaschen sugar high in the bounce house. The festivities wrapped up with a parade that overflowed with phenomenal and unique costumes!
- Purim at the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches was an unforgettable day of celebration, with the 8th Annual One Big Purim at the Palm Beach Gardens location and the 3rd Annual at the Boynton Beach location! The free community events brought together more than 1,700 people for an exciting day of festive costumes, rides, bounce houses, a DJ, kosher pizza, carnival snacks, and more—and they can’t wait to celebrate again next year!
- At the Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, the holiday included not only a terrific Purim carnival but also participation in the second annual “Purim at the Zoo” event!
- ECE students at the Roth Family JCC in Maitland, Florida, dressed in costumes and joined in the gym for a special school-wide Shabbat featuring some of our teachers and some of the JCC’s beloved custodial staff on stage for a Purim play.
- Peninsula JCC in Foster City, California, kicked off a day-long Purim celebration with a lively early childhood parade and performance, followed by a spirited after-school parade in the evening. The costume contest at the Staff Sporty Purim Bash revealed some seriously creative athletic alter-egos, including the world’s biggest “fan,” crafted by the cultural arts director. Members of the youth team hosted a thrilling derby race that included themed costumes and a nacho bar that kept everyone energized for the fun.
- At the York JCC in Pennsylvania, this year’s carnival theme was “Under the Sea”…complete with a mermaid!
- A combined Paperny Family JCC Welcome Shabbat and PJ Library Tot Shabbat celebration in Calgary, Alberta, was filled with laughter, music, and Purim spirit! From adorable costumes to heartfelt prayers, it was a beautiful way for the community to welcome Shabbat together, and the organizers are thankful for everyone who brought festive energy and smiles that made the morning so special!
- The Katz JCC in Cherry Hill, New Jersey had a blast celebrating Purim with a festive Early Childhood Center Parade! The little ones lit up the halls in their colorful costumes, and the staff got in on the fun too, dressing up to spread the holiday joy.
- A Pinkalicious Purim was on tap at the Suffolk Y JCC in Commack, New York. The event featured The Musical, Pinkalicious along with crafts—including sensory tables, Purim tattoos, make your own mask, and more—and giveaways before and after the show!
- The JCC Princeton Mercer Bucks community celebrated Purim with an outdoor parade, a hamantaschen craft “bake,” and story time!
- The lively, joy-filled Purim celebration at the JCC Greater Boston in Massachusetts featured fun for all ages, including a bouncy house, games and crafts, face painting, live entertainment, and, of course, plenty of hamantaschen. In the spirit of matanot l’evyonim (gifts to the poor), attendees supported teens experiencing homelessness by donating hygiene items for The Home for Little Wanderers. With colorful costumes, community spirit, and acts of giving, this festive day captured the heart of Purim.
- The community-wide Purim carnival at the Contra Costa JCC in Lafayette, California—co-sponsored by Congregation B’nai Tikvah, Congregation B’nai Shalom, Congregation Beth Chaim, PJ Library, CCJDS, Midrasha, and Shevet Egoz—was unforgettable! With thrilling carnival games, pony rides, fabulous face painting, and a raffle full of amazing prizes, the day was packed with excitement. The costume contest stole the show, with guests rocking their most creative Purim looks.
- The team at the JCC of Greater Baltimore in Maryland came together to celebrate Purim with joy, laughter, and community spirit. Through games, delicious hamantaschen, and fun, we strengthened the bonds that make the team so special and demonstrated dedication to the values of connection, inclusivity, and belonging for all.
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