Hillel hosts first Purim carnival, teaches Jewish culture

reading of Megillah, a carnival, costumes, masks, gift-giving and hamantaschen, a special cookie in the shape of a triangle, designed to mock Haman’s triangular hat.

Drake Hillel’s Purim Carnival brought both Jewish and nonJewish students together at the Hillel House on March 3, a little over a week after a Jewish student found an anti-Semitic slur carved into a desk in Meredith Hall.

“I’m really pleased with the turnout and the amount of people that came, and the genuine interest that you could see that they had about learning about Purim,” said Breya Whitefield, Hillel board member and co-vice president of Tikkun Olam.

Purim is one of two Jewish holidays not found in the Torah. It celebrates the defeat of Haman’s plot to kill the Jews in the Book of Esther, Megillah. Typical celebrations include a

While carnivals are typical celebrations for Purim, this was the first time Drake Hillel has hosted a Purim carnival.

“We’ve tailored it to our house, to the spaces we have in our house, rather than having like a huge … carnival,” said Drake Hillel president Tali Eisenstadt.

Purim occurs on the 14th of Adar in the Hebrew calendar, beginning the evening of March 11 through March 12 of this year, but Hillel hosted its carnival on March 4 to avoid conflicts with midterms and spring break.

Eisenstadt said the holiday would always be important but was especially important in light of the recent incident in Meredith Hall and because of other attacks happening around the country.

“In light of what happened, it has become so crucial that we get a celebration in here, and that we can find some light at this time,”

Eisenstadt said. “I think it’s bringing much needed relief and some joy to our community.”

Eisenstadt said the carnival, with an estimated attendance of more than 40 people, had a great turnout of both Jews and nonJews.

Julie Uram, a non-Jewish first-year, said she came to the carnival to support her friends in Drake Hillel. Caroline Gander, also a non-Jewish first-year, said she thought the carnival would be a fun way to fulfill a cultural event requirement she had for a class. Both students said they learned a lot about Jewish tradition and culture.

“I’ve been here for less than an hour, and I’ve already learned a ton about Purim and the Jewish tradition that I would not have otherwise learned,” Gander said. Both students expressed sadness over the Meredith Hall incident and said the carnival was an important educational experience.

“I think it’s important to learn what’s valuable and traditional to our friends and our fellow students,” Uram said. “It helps me realize that the holidays I celebrate are not what everybody does.”

Whitefield said making connections also made the event special.

“Besides the education aspect, I think making Jewish connections is important,” Whitefield said. “Because you hear about Hillel, but it’s not the same as going to the house and meeting all the people who are a part of it.”

Organizers said this likely won’t be the last Purim carnival held.

“I think it’d be a great thing to make this an annual event if we can,” said Eisenstadt. “I think it was just really, really fun.”

Drake Hillel will be hosting a Holocaust speaker on April 7 and a Passover Seder on April 10. They also plan to hold more Shabatt dinners (meals held on the Jewish day of rest) and education events about Israel.