Ahead of the Purim holiday celebrations, taking place next Sunday and Monday this year, FJC Jewish communities and organizations are planning hundreds of festive meals and charity events, as well as youth projects, traditional carnivals and celebrations throughout the entire FSU.

Every community, whether big or small, will have a reading of the scroll of Esther and a festive meal for community members and their families. EnerJew youth movement clubs throughout the region will hold special Purim activities. At the same time, children of FJC’s Or Avner schools and kindergartens will stage Purim concerts and performances of all formats and styles, starting with the traditional Purim skit, the “Purimshpeel”. They will also participate in costume competitions and trivia contests and prepare present parcels for their peers.

“For young adults and children of all ages, the holiday of Purim reveals how much Jewish identity is about the present, about rejoicing together and supporting each other. The post-Soviet generations’ preconceptions of their Jewishness used to be that it’s something sad, antiquated and irrelevant. Purim holds an important place in breaking that stereotype,” said Daniel Gordon, FJC’s coordinator.

“At the same time, their parents, who vividly remember the persecution of Jewish traditions under the Communist rule, witness a real Purim miracle in today’s revival of the Jewish culture in the region.”

Besides the traditional celebrations, this year FJC’s Darkeinu – Jewish educational curriculum – also presents a fundraiser project “MegaPurim”. The project calls on all youngsters up to the age of 18 to submit pictures of themselves participating in Purim activities.

For each picture, a dollar will be donated to the LifeChanger rehabilitation project, which helps children in some of the worst life situations in the region.

“It is important for our youth to realize that they also bear the responsibility for helping each other, and this project gives them an important push in the right direction – the amount of money raised depends on their participation,” said Darkeinu projects coordinator Sarah Vernick.

The project will run in the days of Purim, with the winner of the picture contest and the amount of funds raised announced after the holiday.