Purim Shabbat

We handed out our new T-shirts to
members who have attended 4 events! 

On March 18, 2011, Hillel had its Purim themed Shabbat dinner.  Although no one dressed up (with a few exceptions),  it was still a lot of fun!  The Executive Board made Hamantaschen for the members, and we enjoyed delicious chicken from A &T Chicken.  It was a great night with lots of friends and conversation, but the evening did not end after the eating. We were so fortunate to be joined by Rabbi Etan and his wife Tammy for the Shabbat, and Rabbi Etan led an engaging discussion following the meal.  About 15 to 20 of us stayed around to talk about being Jewish on the JMU campus.  It was a wonderful talk, and I know I learned a great deal about the background of many of our members that I hadn’t known before. 

It was great to learn about why Judaism is important to some, and what traditions and aspects of our Jewish religion members want to carry with them for the rest of their lives.  This conversation fit in quite perfectly with the Purim story.  Queen Ester had to hide her religion from the king and from the rest of the people in the community she lived in. Although we aren’t hiding our religion by any means, it was interesting to see the connections between the Purim story and the situations we encounter at James Madison University.   

Also, make sure you come out to our Shabbat Service this Friday at Temple Beth El at 7:30!:)