PURIM AT IKAR

Heroes, villains, madmen and beauties, drunken revelry, decadent feasts, lust, defiance and vengeance - and all that's before we even get the party started! Join us for an unforgettable story of intrigue as we read Megillat Esther. Come costumed!

IKAR's Purim Justice Carnival

Poverty, AIDS, Illiteracy, Hunger -- what do these things have to do with the celebration of Purim?

Purim is about the capriciousness of life - the recognition that human life, and history, can change on a dime, that there is more chaos than order in the world. Amazingly, Judaism tells us to respond to this terrifying reality simultaneously with drunken revelry - masks and flasks - and with a renewed commitment to social change - gifts to the poor, tzedakah. We can't control history, but we must control how we treat humanity. That's why we learn that "there is no greater joy than to brighten the heart of a poor person, an orphan or a widow" (Mishnah Berurah OH 694:3). Our party is only as big as our hearts. Our celebration is all about our willingness to reach beyond ourselves and help those most vulnerable in our city and our world.

Thus the IKAR Purim Justice Carnival -- an IKAR-style twist on the Purim Carnivals of our youth. Learn about and support organizations that address critical local and global social justice issues, all while [ADULTS: playing blackjack, tasting scotch and dancing the night away] / [KIDS: jumping in a moonbounce, getting your face painted and making spin art].

It's the ultimate integration of the religious and the political, the spiritual and the social - and it's our best party of the year.