On Purim night, OU Israel’s Lev Yehudi program hosted an evening of grogger making, megillah reading and entertainment. Lev Yehudi reaches out to Jews in the Tel Aviv area, introducing them to their Jewish heritage and Jewish customs, and for many participants this was a Purim like they had never experienced before.
“The guy who read the megillah told me that standing there and reading the megillah – with hundreds of people from Tel Aviv, many who have never heard it read before, there are a few words in the megillah that really stand out,” shared Rabbi Avi Berman, Director of OU Israel. “When Esther tells Mordechai to gather all the Jews and fast, he felt like he was doing the same thing. Religious, non-religious, those that have listened every year to the megillah, and those hearing it for the first time. They were all gathered there. There’s no better feeling than to learn and practice what our teachers and leaders have taught us.”
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.