Chabad Purim celebration set for March 13 in Sparta

Sparta - Chabad of Sussex County will present its fifth annual Purim celebration from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on Monday, March 13, at the Sparta Ambulance Building, 14 Sparta Ave. The celebration will include a Purim party, entertainment, talent show, “L’chaim’s,” fancy dress, and the reading of The Megillah (the biblical Book of Esther). “Although the holiday of Purim is celebrated with much joy and excitement by the entire family, it is a favorite for the children, who are at the forefront of dressing up in costume and delivering the holiday gifts and charity,” said Rabbi Shmuel Lewis of Chabad. “Purim is a day of sharing together in utter joy,” he explained. “It is a holiday during which Jews exchange gifts of delicacies and drink, aid the poor and feast on superb dishes interspersed with wine,” he continued. “The holiday celebrates a riveting, yet true, epic of palace intrigue in ancient Persia, which almost resulted in the annihilation of the Jews during the reign of King Achashverosh (Xerxes). The Jews not only survived, but triumphed because of their active unity and unshakable commitments to their identity as a practicing Jewish community.” Suggested donation is $10 per person, $30 per family. Reservations required. For information, call 973-726-9111, or send e-mail to Chabad@jewishsussexcounty.com, or log on to jewishsussexcounty.com.