Family Focus
ON THE GO
Passion For Purim
Get ready for a family-friendly Jewish holiday.
THE WHOLE
MEGILLAH
Purim is one of the most
family-oriented and fun-filled
Jewish holidays. This year
it falls on Tuesday, March 10
(corresponding to the 14th day
of the Hebrew month of Adar).
It's customary for kids, and
some adventurous adults, to
dress in costume, and also to
perform four major mitzvot
(commandments): hearing
the story of Purim (megillah),
giving gifts of food, helping
people in need and enjoying a
festive meal.
Here are some activities the
whole family can enjoy:
• Get the crowns and
marabou-trimmed
robes out of stor-
age and head to
synagogue to hear
the Megillat Esther
and join in a variety of
Purim festivities. Most
synagogues have carni-
vals and other special pro-
grams for kids of all ages. Call
the synagogue of your choice
for specific information.
• Get everyone involved in
making mishloah manot gifts
to deliver to friends or neigh-
bors. Each package should
contain two different types of
foods, like fruits and candies,
or juice and cookies.
• Help those less fortunate by
having every family member
deposit two coins in a tzeda-
kah (charity) box. If you don't
have one at home, any syna-
gogue will be glad to accept
your donation.
• Make time to enjoy a spe-
cial family meal. Talk about
how Esther's courage helped
save the Jews from extinc-
tion. Discuss parallels in more
recent history, and encourage
C18
February 19 • 2009
your kids to explore their own
ideas of heroism.
(248) 205-2536 or
Greenberg@jfmd.org .
Get ready for
a cold, icy run
• Visit www.chabad.org and
click on the Purim link for
interesting facts, crafts,
games and more. If you
find making three-cornered
Hamantashen from scratch as
intimidating as I do, you'll love
the easy recipes for Purim
Popcorn and Purim Corn Flake
bars - no baking required!
And if you're looking for craft
projects, the Purim origami
makes a nice addition to the
usual groggers and masks.
• Celebrate a
"Green Purim" at
5:30 p.m. Tuesday,
March 10, at the Shul
in West Bloomfield.
The festival includes
a naturally wholesome
dinner and juice bar, earth-
friendly crafts and displays,
and a megillah reading every
15 minutes. $22 adults, $10
children. 6890 W. Maple, call
(248) 788-4000 or visit www.
theshul.org .
in Waterford.
• Enjoy a family Purim con-
cert by the internationally
acclaimed Robyn Helzner Trio
at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at
Congregation Beth Shalom,
14601 W. Lincoln in Oak
Park. $6 per person or $18
maximum per family. Contact
Steven Weiss at (248) 547-
7970, ext. 200 or visit exec-
dir®congbethshalom.org .
Hamentashen
• It's customary to give thanks
on Purim for the saving of
the Jewish people. Have each
family member take turns
talking about what they are
grateful for. It's a great way
to teach kids about gratitude,
and it's a good reminder for
the grown-ups, too!
OTHER PURIM
DOINGS....
• Bring the whole family to the
Great Purim Parcel Project
2009 at 10:30 a.m. Sunday,
March 1, at the Max M. Fisher
Federation Building, 6735
Telegraph Road (south of
Maple), Bloomfield Township.
Participants will make mish-
loach manot parcels to deliver
to more than 3,800 people
throughout the community.
Contact Gail Greenberg at
CINDER-BULLY?
• Find out what happens
when Cinderella decides to
give her stepsisters a dose of
their own bullying behavior
in the original children's play,
Queen Cinderella, at the Lyon
Theater, 125 E. Lake St. in
South Lyon. Performances at
7 p.m. Saturdays, March 7 and
14, 2 p.m. Sundays, March 8
and 15. $8 for adults, $6 for
children 12 and younger. Group
rates available. Call (810) 227-
4594 or visit www.thephoe-
nixplayers.org .
FRIDGE-ID FUN
• Grab your mittens and head
for the Fridge, where tobog-
gan enthusiasts (and begin-
ners) can swoosh down the
1,000-foot run. Toboggans
are provided and transported
by Oakland County park
staff. A kiddie sledding hill
at the Fridge
and Lookout
Lodge warm-
ing facility
make for a great
family outing. Waterford Oaks
County Park, 1702 Scott Lake
Road, Waterford. Call (248)
975-4440 for hours, rates
and conditions or visit www.
oaklandfridge.com . For a buy-
one-get-one-free admission
offer, visit www.wwj.com/
pages/3615536.php.
MICE ON ICE
• See your favorite Disney
characters frolic on skates
in Disney on Ice: Worlds of
Fantasy, at the Palace of
Auburn Hills from Wednesday,
Feb. 25, through Sunday,
March 1. Tickets range from
$15-$65. Show times vary. Call
(800) 745-3000 or visit www.
ticketmaster.com .
ON A MUSICAL
NOTE...
• Feb. 22-March 8:
Enjoy a variety of
musical perfor-
mances for all
ages, including
Grammy Award-
winner Melissa
Manchester and
the Ambassador
Quintent's Kids &
Strings concert at the
Stephen Gottlieb Jewish
Musicfest. The two-week
festival includes Broadway,
klezmer, classical, pop/rock,
jazz, opera and family enter-
tainment. Oak Park Jewish
Community Center,15110 W.
Ten Mile Road. For a complete
schedule, visit www.jccdet.org
or call (248) 967-4030, ext.
2020.
• Feb. 21: Put your feet up
and enjoy the music of native
Detroiter Bill Bynum & Co.
at the family-friendly Comfy
Couch Concert series at
Newport Furnishings in Wixom.
Potluck dinner at 7 p.m.; con-
cert at 8 p.m. $12 adults in
advance, $15 at door, $10 stu-
dents at door. Receive $3 off
with donation of child-sized
toothbrushes, toothpaste and
warm socks for the children's
charity Sweet Dreamzzz. Call
(248) 679-8910 or visit www.
comfycouchconcerts.com .
DEALS FOR A DOLLAR
• If you think it's hard to find
sand pails and shovels in the
middle of winter, try finding a
tiara, especially when you're
scrambling to put together
a Queen Esther costume on
your way out the door to the
Purim carnival. I wasn't orga-
nized enough to buy costumes
during the post-Halloween
clearance sales, so I was
grateful to find crowns and
other accessories at my local
dollar store. My haul included
small colorful wicker baskets
perfect for packaging mish-
loach manot goodies.
The dollar
store is a great
\ source for other
1 gift-giving
supplies like
tissue paper,
giftwrap, bags,
tags and ribbon.
And there's always
a plentiful selec-
tion of paper goods, plastic
ware, decorations, goodie
bags, favors and balloons for
kids' birthday parties, school
events and holidays. ❑
If you have items or suggestions for
this column, please send them to
Ronelle Grier at ronelleg@aol.com,
along with your name and contact
information.