Members of Tucson's Jewish community will gather this weekend to celebrate the Purim holiday with a play that puts a fun spin on an old biblical story.
The play will be a part of a weekend-long carnival celebration at Temple Emanu-El, 225 N. Country Club Road, on Saturday and Sunday.
The carnival will feature about 100 game booths, a train ride for children and traditional Jewish foods, said Rabbi Samuel Cohon.
The carnival will begin on Saturday with a pizza party and costume contest. A play will take place the following day.
"It is a takeoff on the play 'The Producers' with the story of Esther woven in," Cohon said. "It is a full musical in which we make fun of contemporary Jewish culture and just have a great time," Cohon said.
The Purim holiday commemorates the Jews' escape from destruction in Persia, as documented in the book of Esther.
"It is partly a spring festival and the experience of surviving attempted destruction and being redeemed from destruction," Cohon said. "It's a cartoon of good and evil in the Purim story."
The opportunity to dress up in costumes also sends a subtle message, he said.
"There's an understanding that there's a hidden side to us that needs to be revealed," he said.
Overall, the celebration gives people a chance to have fun, he said. "If you like to have fun, you should come to Purim," Cohon said. "It's a way of saying even God needs to party."
Midtown
If You Go
• What: Purim celebration
• Where: 225 N. Country Club Road.
• When: 5:45 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.
• For more information, contact Temple Emanu-El at 327-4501.
