Purim is right around the corner. Do you have your costume ready? Are
you well versed in what—exactly—Purim food is? Feeling a little rusty on
the Purim story? Forgot to buy a gragger?
Well, brave shopper, fear not: as always, your iPhone (or
other app-supportive device) is here to your rescue.
For the kids
Want
the kids to stop annoying you from the backseat? Need some help getting
them into the Purim spirit? Pass your iPhone to your noise-maker and
drive in peace. Kosher Penguin LLC brings you
Purim Match,
a Purim-themed memory game for you or your kids. While this game is not
exactly educational, it pulls off the holiday theme nicely, has
different difficulty levels, is timeable, and game-center supported for
anyone who is feeling competitive.
Cost: $0.99Supported formats:iPhone, iPod touch, iPadReligious
We're
permitted to use electronics on Purim, so you can take your iPhone to
synagogue and let it join the celebration. We're thinking specifically
of RustyBrick, Inc.'s
Megilat Esther
app. This app both gives you the entire Megilat Esther text while also
functioning as a gragger. The fun doesn't end there: Choose from a
number of different gragger noises to scare off Haman, including
fire-crackers and crowd-booing. Give your iPhone a shake and let it
randomly generate one of the optional sounds.
Cost: freeSupported formats: iPhone, iPod touch, iPadJust for fun
Haven't
had time to design a costume this year? We have two apps for you. While
both of these apps were originally designed for Halloween, who says
that costume ideas for Halloween aren't transferrable to Purim. The
first, More Blu Sky's
Costume Ideas: Halloween,
randomly generates costume suggestions based on limited search
criteria. Like the costume idea? Click "shop for it," and the app will
take you to a Google product-search for your costume.
The second app, Schatzisoft's
Halloween,
is for the craftier among us: This app shows you costume ideas in a
list-format, and instead of taking you to a Google-product search, it
takes you to an image search where you can find inspiration for how to
throw your perfect costume together.
Cost: Costume Ideas: Halloween, $0.99; Halloween, free. Supported formats: iPhone, iPod touch, iPadFor the chef
Judaism is a faith of food, and Purim is no exception. Traditional foods for this holiday aren't limited to hamentaschen.
Cooking with the Bible: Purim brings you a menu based on both the climate and location of biblical stories as well as foods traditional to Purim.
Disclaimer:
as the creators of this bible-based cook-book are not Jewish, some
recipes in this application are not kosher. However, most are
vegetarian, the few not kosher dishes are modifiable to fit a kosher
meal, and all are delicious.
Cost: $0.99Supported formats: iPhone, iPod touch, iPadAppaholic is a bi-weekly column which thematically reviews mobile apps with a Jewish or Israeli twist. If you have an app to suggest, send details to appaholic.jpost@gmail.com