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Friday, March 28, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
The Happy Face Of Purim
'Spiels', carnivals and class projects
helped Detroiters get into the Purim mood.
Purim put on its happy face throughout the
Detroit area this week. Numerous preparations
had to be made, whether it was preparing
shalach manos for neighbors and friends, to
preparing Purim skits, plays and carnival games
at home, school or synagogue.
The traditional reading of the Megillat
Esther Monday night and Tuesday morning
were accompanied by the drowning out of the
name of the dreaded Haman with graggers,
cat-calls and foot-stomping enthusiasm.
Photographer Neal Duchin took the
accompanying photographs during the last two
weeks as the Jewish community of Detroit
prepared for the Festival of Purim. Above, the
kindergarten class at Akiva Hebrew Day School
had a traditional celebration. Teachers Phyllis
Koenigsberg and Leslie Fishman and other
classmates proudly watch Lindsay Rogers and
Jordan Kobernick display pictures of Purim's
cast of characters.
At left, Dina Jaffa and Amy Glasser taunt
water tossers at Sunday's Purim party at
Temple Israel. Many synagogues and the Jewish
Community Center held Purim carnivals on
Sunday, complete with games and prizes for
children of all ages.
On the page at right, starting at the top and
going clockwise, are just a sampling of Detoit's
Purim celebrants. Aliza Burstyn enjoys creating
a mask on the face of Cori Letvin during a
Purim art project at Akiva. Jonathan Cyrlin
isn't quite as sure that having his face painted
at Temple Israel is as much fun as everybody
said it would be. A Sixteenth Century Haman
and Mordecai were created by the Renaisance
Players at a special Purim spiel at the Jimmy
Prentis Morris Branch of the Jewish Community
Center.
Taking care of more traditional
preparations are Rabbi Avraham Jacobowitz of
Machon L'Torah in Oak Park, and his son
Yitzchak, who reviewed the Book of Esther
before the readings this week. Making sure
there was a plentiful supply of juicy,
scrumptious, golden-brown hamentashen for the
holiday in a variety of delicious flavors was
Morris Weiss of Zeman's bakery. ❑