Community Corner

Purim Festivities to be Celebrated in Melville

Chabad of Huntington and Melville will celebrate the holiday of Purim with a family festival.

The Jewish community of Huntington Township will have the opportunity to celebrate the festive holiday of Purim on Saturday Feb. 23 at the Melville Marriott, 1350 Old Walt Whitman Road, Melville at 7 p.m.

The celebration will feature Jews everywhere will observe the celebratory holiday of Purim, which continues through Sunday, Feb. 24.

Purim is a time for feasting and drinking ‘Royal Wine’, and in the spirit of playfulness we dress in costume. For the sake of fun and prizes, children as well as adults are encouraged to participate in the “Masquerade Contest” as we enjoy an evening of merry-making festivities.

Find out what's happening in Half Hollow Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Be amazed with us as we present internationally acclaimed Jack Ryan a.k.a. Black Jack & the Hoop Wizard who performs an interactive show filled with basketball tricks and skits that keeps crowds from all over the world in stitches. When he spins basketballs (nine at a time!) it dazzles the kids. Ryan says: “And then I take a kid from the audience who doesn’t think he or she can spin a ball and teach them to spin a ball. Then once that’s spinning, I take a hat with a point on it and place it on the kids head.” Moments before the kid didn’t think he could do it and before he knows it, he’s spinning two! “The lesson is you have to try in order to do it. It’s about developing confidence.  

The holiday of Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of Persia from extermination under the hands of Haman, chief minister of King Achashverosh, during the 4th century B.C.E.

Find out what's happening in Half Hollow Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The courage and self-sacrifice of Mordechai and his cousin Queen Esther, our Purim heroes, brought about the salvation of the Jewish People.  A special reading of the Megillah (Scroll of Esther) conveys the Miraculous Purim story in detail which describes a sequence of events and how the tables were turned as Queen Esther successfully intervened on behalf of her people.  Haman was hung on the very gallows he constructed for use on the Jewish people.

In commemoration of this, Jews have been marking this day in the Jewish calendar as a day of joyous celebration. For this happy occasion we prepare food gifts called “Mishloach Manos” which are exchanged with family and friends, and “Matanos L’Evyonim” - - donating charity to the needy.

 “Those who participated in similar events in the past can attest to the fact that this is certainly an event not to be missed,” said Rabbi Asher Vaisfiche, Director, Chabad of Huntington & Melville.

Mark your calendar for Saturday night, Feb. 23 7 p.m. at the Melville Marriott, 1350 Old Walt Whitman Rd., Melville. Enjoy Live Music, Refreshments & Hamentashen will be served. Graggers (noisemakers) will be distributed, and much more. Admission is only $10 per person.

For reservations, or further information, call Chabad of Huntington, 631-385-2424 or log onto www.chabadofhuntington.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here