The national Purim circuit

A plethora of parties, carnivals and parades will brighten the country over the next few days.

By BARRY DAVIS
Ashkelon Adloyada 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Ashkelon Adloyada 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
If there’s one holiday that gets people out in the streets doing all manner of things they wouldn’t contemplate under everyday rational circumstances, it’s Purim.
Are we not told that we should drink to excess until we are unable to differentiate between Mordechai and Haman? There will be plenty of that let-it-all-hang-out spirit on show at numerous events taking place up and down the country.
One of the main events on the Purim agenda is the Adloyada carnival in Holon, which kicks off on Sunday at 12 noon, and will follow a route from Rehov Sokolov and along Weizmann as far as Rehov Golomb. The carnival will be based on the biblical theme of “love your neighbor” and will mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Holon Children’s Museum. The parade, which will include giant figures, gymnasts, musicians and dancers, will be preceded by a theatrical show, which will take place along the procession route.
Meanwhile over in Ramat Hasharon, the local Purim Adloyada event starts a couple of hours earlier, at 10 a.m., and will traverse the length of Bialik Boulevard. The 2,000-plus participant procession will include dancers, musical ensembles, acrobats and athletes.
There will also be a program of shows on stages, including a concert by the Black Hebrews of Dimona and a giant drummers’ circle.
There’s more carnival fun on offer in Ashkelon, which begins on Sunday at 11 a.m., starting from the School of Sciences on Rehov Eli Cohen and ending at the city’s main midrahov. The Ashkelon Adloyada cast of thousands will include giant figures of characters from popular operas, street performers, stilt walkers, clowns and magicians.
The Jerusalem carnival will take place on the morrow, Shushan Purim, at 11 a.m. on Alrov Boulevard in Mamilla. The all-family entertainment will include shows in the amphitheater, a circus site and a jamboree.
The Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv will run a varied two-day program of Purim events on Sunday and Monday. The museum itinerary includes the unveiling of a rare Purim-related treasure – the historic Queen Esther crown crafted by jewelry makers at the Bezalel School of the Arts 82 years ago and used at a Purim ball in Tel Aviv in 1929. The Eretz Israel Museum program also includes activities for all ages, including drawing, featuring characters from Megilat Esther and mask making, and a tour of the museum with hands-on activities.
There is more indoor entertainment on offer over the holiday period courtesy of the Israeli Stage Orchestra, with a comical musical circus-based production entitled Hamaka Esther (The Esther Pest). The show tells the humorous story of a domineering female boss of a traveling musical circus and her good-hearted acrobat husband.
The musical accompaniment includes works by Bach, Schubert, Leonard Bernstein, and Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose.” Hamaka Esther plays at the Tel Aviv Museum on March 19 at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on March 21 at 11:30 a.m. and at Mofet Hall in Rehovot on March 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Anyone looking to keep cool over the holiday period should get down to Eilat for the daily Wow on Ice skating extravaganza, overseen by Hanoch Rosen. The show includes 30 skaters from China, the US and Austria, who will dance and perform breathtaking acrobatics, accompanied by a host of special effects. Shows start daily at 8:30 p.m.
Way over at our northern extremity, on March 19 and 20, there will be animals and fairies galore at Rosh Hanikra with a Purim carnival incorporating arts workshops, animal and fairy makeup and mask making activities, raffles and prizes. Events will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on both days.
Things will be looking green in Beersheba on March 21 when the capital of the south hosts the first environmental-social Purim carnival, under the aegis of the local Neighborhood Sustainability Center, Merage Foundation for Development of the Negev, Kivunim Ltd. and the Beersheba Municipality. The program will include a wide range of environmentally friendly and local beautification activities and entertainment for families (from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) and for youngsters and students.
About 60 kilometers down the road, at the Sde Boker Academy, tomorrow’s environmentally aware carnival will kick off at 9:30 a.m.
The carnival, which will take place for the 15th year, is the largest Purim parade event run by high school children anywhere in the country. More than 5,000 visitors are expected to attend the event.
Wherever you happen to be in the country over the next few days, you should be able to happily shake a leg or two, grab a show or try your hand at some Purimrelated creativity pursuit. Just make sure you leave the requisite alcohol imbibing to the non-drivers.