UF students will wear costumes and eat hamantaschen, triangle-shaped cookies, for Purim this Wednesday and Thursday.
The Jewish holiday commemorates the Jewish people overcoming oppression and celebrating Queen Esther’s saving them, said UF Hillel’s Rabbi Adam Grossman. Hillel, UF Chabad and the Jewish Student Union are hosting carnivals, themed dinners and gift-givings for the holiday.
UF Chabad, which is spending $9,000 on events, will host Purim in the Wild West on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. The event, which is only open to UF students, costs $10 with a Gator 1 Card. Students can ride a mechanical bull.
On Thursday, they are also holding Megillah readings, which come from the Bible’s Book of Esther, on the Plaza of the Americas, Fraternity Row and the law school, he said.
Rabbi Berl Goldman, the executive director of UF Chabad, said Purim is an important holiday.
“We look forward to getting together with the entire Jewish Gator Nation to celebrate the Purim holiday,” he said.
Grossman said UF Hillel will celebrate Purim at its Food Truck Shabbat dinner Friday at 7:30 p.m. Hillel will also make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Gainesville’s homeless residents March 29.
“Purim is a time to remember the people in our communities,” he said. “Within the holiday we need to remember to celebrate and impact our community.”
Leigh Bouskila, a UF business administration freshman, said she will wear cat ears to Chabad’s Wild West event.
“It’s cool that we still get to do the holiday, even though we don’t live at home,” the 19-year-old said.
