Temple Beth Am Library Minyan The Library Minyan organized and sponsored a seudah for the entire congregation this Purim. We held the seudah directly after Daily Minyan and the Megillah reading. The purposes of the seudah were varied. Of course, we wanted to share a meal with our friends and build community. We also desired to perform as many Purim mitzvot as possible together that morning.
The first mitzvah completed was to hear the Megillah. The second was to eat a ritual meal. The third included adding Al Hanisim during benching. The fourth consisted of collecting and distributing funds for matanot le’evyonim. The fifth involved sending Mishloach Manot. The sixth was to drink some scotch. (That’s not a mitzvah? Oh.) And of course, no Purim could be complete without some merriment.
Thank you to all who provided the Shpiel-portion of our event. Rabbi Susan Leider -- although she was interrupted by phone calls throughout -- entertained the group with a beautiful and moving, and oddly appropriate, rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Diane Roosth, an experienced laugh therapist, led us in laughter exercises. Debbie Rich reprised her pre-Purim, pre-Oscars, dvar Torah, and many volunteers with some talent, and no shame, performed limericks and ditties to amuse us. For a link to the limericks click here.
Special thanks go out to Ritual Chair Norm Saiger for organizing the event; Rabbi Adam Kligfeld for leading us in benching; Lt. Commander Jerry Krautman for being our Master of Ceremonies; and Supply Officer Bill Seligman for bringing the booze.
Together the Daily Minyan and the Purim Seudah attendees raised over $400 for matanot le’evyonim. Our sincerest thanks go to everyone who contributed. The LM then coordinated our resources with some other groups at TBA to feed the hungry.
JPA staff Rabbi Chaim Tureff and Jill Linder arranged a seudah for the middle school which hosted and fed needy individuals. We gave them with the unserved food from our seudah, which the middle school students bagged for their guests to take home as a literal embodiment of Mishloach Manot. The TBA USY exchanged the cash raised for Subway gift cards, which they distributed at PATH. For Alana Levitt’s narrative of USY’s involvement, click here.
Thanks also to TBA staff members Sheryl Goldman, Amy Rabin, and Alana Levitt for all their help in making the Purim Seudah a success!