People celebrating Purim in Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Stephanie Keith, via The Guardian.

February 26 marked the end of the Jewish holiday Purim. This holiday is a joyous celebration, frequently referred to as a Jewish Halloween or a carnival.

According to the Book of Esther, Haman planned to annihilate the Jewish people, but they were saved by Mordecai and Esther. It was then declared that Purim would be “A day of feasting and merrymaking,” (Esther 9:17-22).

Purim is celebrated in a number of ways: exchanging gifts and food, donating to the poor, eating the se’udat Purim and reading the Megillah. Afterwards, costume parties and parades flood the streets and last well into the night. 

Last year, Purim was celebrated during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The tragic timing led to a spike of COVID-19 cases in Jewish communities, especially the Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox. West Rogers Park, home to a large Orthodox community, was heavily affected by early outbreaks. 

Created by Maia Luem, via Canva.

According to Chicago’s Covid-19 Dashboard, the week of March 21, 2020, West Rogers Park had a 37% positivity rate and peaked at a 41.6% rate in April 2020.

West Rogers Park now has a 4% positivity rate – a vast improvement from a year ago. Although, there is a concern another outbreak will happen after Purim celebrations this weekend.

Many communities included extra measures to ensure the celebration of Purim would not turn into a super spreader event. For example, Israel set 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m curfew, which began Thursday. Despite the curfew and police dispersion of gatherings, officials are still worried about a spike of cases, which would halt reopening plans. 

Other Rabbis encouraged virtual celebrations to reduce the spread and asked people to have contactless deliveries of gifts and food. Some synagogues held services and group readings from the Book of Esther outdoors in attempt to follow social distancing guidelines. 

Hillel Metro Chicago worked to reduce spread from Purim celebrations by offering a variety of virtual services. The organization held a virtual “Purim Whodunnit” to engage members of the Jewish community in the Purim celebration.

Hillel also offered a gift delivering service — one could order a Purim gift basket to be delivered anywhere in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs. They also organized numerous virtual events, such as a “Purim Drag Show” and “The Megillah Masquerade.”

By offering these interactive, unique events, Hillel helped the celebration of Purim still happen while keeping the Jewish community healthy and safe.

My friend Tali Rubin, 17, personally celebrated Purim very differently this year. 

“Normally every year there’s a parade, unfortunately that didn’t happen this year,” Rubin said. “For the meals we didn’t have any guests and the synagogues didn’t have any parties.” 

Rubin was disappointed by this year’s celebrations, although she knew it was for the safety of everyone. 

“We didn’t celebrate so much as a community but as a family,” Rubin said. 

The changes made ensured everyone stayed healthy so they could celebrate next year’s holidays. 

“I’m not worried about an outbreak of COVID-19 cases … the community was very cautious this year,” Rubin said.