The New Neighbors Coalition, at St. Luke’s Episocpal Church, will be hosting a community celebration for the Jewish holiday of Purim.

Being a holiday of great importance, and typically celebration, the group hopes that this can give people in the community a new look into different cultures. Not only that, but the organization hopes that events such as this will further the overall goal of creating a more interconnected community.

Purim is a holiday from the Jewish faith that originates from a celebration of the persistence of the Jewish people. The story originates from the Book of Esther, and takes place in the ancient empire of Achaemenid. In this story Achaemenid’s leader, known as Haman, was seeking to eliminate the Jewish people through means of violence and killing. However, a brave figure named Mordecai from the tribe of Benjamin. Mordecai would be the individual to uncover the assassination plots, and warn the people before the violent acts could commence. To celebrate the many that were saved in this tale, Purim has become a holiday full of elaborate and delectable feasts to commemorate the triumph of the Jewish people.

New Neighbors Coalition Coordinator Momina Di Blasio detailed what the event would entail. Di Blasio noted that the big activity will be an interactive play which will recreate the story from the Book of Esther. The audience will be encouraged to take part in the production, booing when Haman’s name is spoken along with many other things, according to Di Blasio. Di Blasio also noted that the production will contain various members from the church’s performance group the Winged Ox. Additionally, Di Blasio noted other Jewish traditions that the group will be doing to further immerse attendees into the culture. The event will see a treat called hamantaschen being made. Hamantaschen is a triangular desert pastry that is filled with a jam on the inside. The treat itself has a deep connection to the holiday, even being named to symbolize the defeat of Haman.

“If anybody wants to connect, either because they want to volunteer or they just want to be in the loop for more events like this, we’re hoping to do more of these culture celebration events throughout the year,” said Di Blasio. “They can just follow us on Facebook, or send me an email, or just call the church office and get in touch. We’re always looking for more people to be engaged, we’re always looking for more volunteers, we’re also just always looking for more people to come to our stuff and be a bigger part of the movement.”

This event will hopefully serve as a means of helping residents to understand a wider range of different cultures, and allow people the opportunity to have a completely new experience. Di Blasio stated that such events will hopefully normalize these different traditions to the many in the area that have never experienced it. Additionally, Di Blaiso stated that these individuals will be able to now draw comparisons to different cultural and religious customs, and realize that many traditions that are common in this area are very similar.

“It is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil, and it’s definitely one of the more celebratory holidays of the Jewish faith. Part of what we do as the New Neighbors Coalition is that we try to support new arrivals and immigrants in the community. One of the ways we do that is by celebrating different faiths, different cultures, and finding opportunities to engage with others about immigration in a way that’s positive and celebrates differences.”

The event will take place on Monday, March 2, and will take place at St. Luke’s Episopal Church located at 410 N Main Street. The event will begin at 6 p.m., and will be located in the church’s undercroft area, in the basement of the church. Donations are welcome at the event but not mandatory, as anyone from the community is encouraged to attend regardless of financial means. For more information contact momina@stlukesjamestown.org or call 716-483-6405.