News and Updates from the Community

Dear Friends:

Purim is tomorrow night!!! You absolutely cannot miss any of this.

1. Please come dressed up in a 90s costume. Or pick something else. The 90s were a flexible time. Perhaps choose the 90s from a different century. Or dress up as a 90 year old. Bottom line: You do you.
2. Mincha tomorrow is at 6:50 PM. Maariv is at 7:30 PM with the Megillah a few minutes later. Mendel Kaplan will read the Megillah. We have more than 250 megillot that have been sponsored by Ellen Neuborne & David Landis, Suzanne Dance & Andrew Obin, and Cori Robinson & Gavriel Bellino.
3. Immediately following the Megillah we will have a party. There will be Finback beer, a bar, as well as all sorts of treats. At some point we will be joined by our friends from the University of Purim (non-accredited and in no way associated with Trump University) as well as the band Mutty. The party will end before morning services.
4. On March 24th, we will reconvene for Shacharit at 7:30 AM, followed by the Megillah which will be read by our friend, David Waxman. The Megillah will start at approximately 8:00 AM.
5. Our Mishloach Manot initiative has been a great success. The income - which is considerable -  has been applied to our Purim celebrations as well as general operating expenses. We are most thankful to Rabbi Bellino and Alexia Marks who conceived of and organized this project. Additionally, we thank our helpers: Daniela Sirotti, Andy Gelfand, Ira Orgel, Tanya Litvinova, Sagiv Ofek, Josh Penn, Jaqueline Fish, Grace Auerbach, Neil Kitainik, Cori Robinson, as well as someone who chooses to remain anonymous. Not shady at all. We are also grateful to several of our suppliers who were quite generous: Michael Shoretz of Enlightened, Richie Heisler of Butterflake Bakery in Teaneck, Reuven Friedman of RJ's Kosher Beef Jerky in Los Angeles, as well as our friends from Filler Up Liquor Store in Teaneck.
6. Gifts to the poor, is arguably the most important Mitzvah of Purim. Rabbi Bellino will direct all Discretionary Fund monies raised to some individuals in the community, the Bowery Mission, as well Od Yosef Chai. Please consider generously donating to Rabbi Bellino's Discretionary Fund on the website. Be sure to specify that this donation is for Purim Charity.
7. Ashkenazim tend to play with half dollars and make donations in commemoration of the Half Sheqel. The funds collected will be applied to the Gifts to the Poor money, but don't count as Purim Gifts to the Poor. Weird, right? Rabbi Bellino will have these half dollars available starting tomorrow evening.

Rest up,

The Committee for Purim Dysfunction