Purim Resources for Congregations to Use

We’re delighted to offer this roundup of digital resources you can share with your community – embed these resources on your website, include in your e-newsletter, or share on social media.     

Find resources to help you teach about Purim including brief descriptions of Purim customs, a summary of the Megillat Esther and an overview of its characters, as well as ideas to incorporate social action and tzedakah into your Purim celebrations. 
 

Purim Videos

We’ve selected a few highlights from our extensive collection of Purim videos:  

What is Purim? This upbeat and engaging BimBam video (5:05 min) introduces adults to holiday basics and the various ways the holiday is celebrated in different Jewish communities. Even those who have been celebrating for years are likely to learn something new.   

Share these short videos – with lyrics! – of three classic Purim songs: Chag Purim (Purim holiday), La Kova Sheli Shalosh Pinot (My Three-Cornered Hat), and Mishenichnas Adar (When Adar Arrives). 

• Tip: Embed these videos on your synagogue’s website or share them in your e-newsletter.  

Get ready to Shake Your Grogger! This uplifting music video (4:04) from Michelle Citrin sets just the right tone for festive Purim celebrations. Let us to be the first to warn you: one listen and you’ll be humming it all day.  

• Tip: Celebrating with your community in virtual space? Share this video as people arrive and in the few minutes before your program begins.  

Easy and Unique Hamantaschen. This fast motion video (1:30 min) introduces hamantaschen and offers a variety of sweet and savory fillings, including our favorite: salted caramel. (And, if you haven’t yet mastered the art of folding hamantaschen, check out this easy tutorial, which includes a how-to video from Jewish cooking expert Tina Wasserman.)  

• Tip: Share the short video on social media and invite community members to share their ideas for creative cookie fillings and post photos of their finished products.  

• Tip: Is a member of your leadership planning to bake hamantashen for the holiday? Set up a Facebook poll and invite community members to choose which fillings they will use.  

Learn the Purim Story in 4 Minutes with this funny, sassy animated BimBam version of the Book of Esther, condensed and jazzed up for the modern student or family. Celebrate Esther's bravery and Mordechai's wisdom, and “boooooo” Haman.  
 

Put on a Purim spiel for your community!

Here are some pre-written spiels available to use in your communities. Some are free to use, and others have a small cost or tzedakah donation. All are user friendly and sure to bring some celebratory fun to your community on Purim. Most importantly, you won’t need to re-invent the wheel if you use a pre-written play from one of these creative sources: 

• The Jonah Maccabee Foundation: 13 musical spiels that are 30 minutes in length (from classic films and shows to The Beatles and Billy Joel), suitable for kids and for adults (like Sesame Street, they are entertaining for kids with humor that aims for the adult funny bone). We provide a script, piano-vocal score, and mp3 recordings of all songs. Note: There are no solo parts or songs (though you are certainly free to create them). To produce maximum participation, all readers are "narrators," and all songs are for chorus and/or congregation. If you would like to use these spiels, we ask for a $250 donation to the foundation that provides grants in the arts, social activism, and Jewish life. If your community cannot afford the full donation, we'll help! 

• The Spiel Guy: Over 20 funny, feminist, and professional Purim spiel packages for sale that come with everything a community needs for an amazing Purim spiel: scripts, posters, karaoke tracks, example tracks, and sheet music. 

• Sinai Temple, Champaign, IL: All spiels tell the story of the Megillah with musical interludes: Beatles, Glee (with Pop Songs), Muppets (with Muppet songs and Pop songs), Frozen, Star Wars (with Disney songs), Grease, The Greatest Showman, Mary Poppins, Annie, Little Shop of Horrors, and Hamilton (being finalized; available by request). If you choose to use the spiels, appropriate attribution is requested, and please make a donation to the Rabbinic Discretionary Fund at Sinai Temple in any amount that feels appropriate for your congregation.

• Rabbi Debra Hachen: A few different options here! 1. Sound of Music Purim: Full spiel  – songs and narration; 2. Mary Poppins Purim  – Songs only; 3. Beatles Purim  – Songs only; 4. Americana Purim – PowerPoint with parody songs introduced by traditional Purim songs and blessings; 5. Rhymin’ Purim Nursery Rhymes – PowerPoint with parody songs introduced by traditional Purim songs and blessings.  

Or if you would like to be brave (a Purim custom) - you can write your own spiel. Here are some hints: Get in on the Act: Yes, You Can Write a Purim Spiel!