Imagine sitting in your Purim costume davening Maariv in a chorus of 400 other Jewish young adults, preparing to listen to the chanting of the Megillah led by your friends and volunteers from your community, fully immersing yourself in all that the holiday has to offer. If you lived in the New York area, you would not have to imagine.
Lucy Siegel, the YALA Northeast Coordinator who helped put together the event this year, recalls, “I didn’t know that I could be in a room with 400 Jewish people and not know anyone. But I think it’s just a testament to the size of the community. There are so many Jewish people in this city and so many young adults who want to collaborate with each other and hang out.”
There was a lot to draw young adults to the event. Due to generous sponsors, the entry fee was only $18. In addition to the party, Megillah Madness featured a meaningful Megillah reading led by volunteers from Ramah, the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), USY Alumni, YALA and others.
“It’s not just a party,” said Lucy. “People who are affiliated with these communities are looking for something a little bit more meaningful. We did Maariv and then a Megillah reading, and it wasn’t just us, the leaders, or the people running the party who did the Megillah readings. We had volunteers from other partygoers who all signed up to read the different chapters. Yeah, we have a party afterwards. There’s an open bar, like it’s a regular party, but leading up to that, we have something really meaningful that I think is not true at every Purim party throughout the city. At this one, people are able to volunteer or engage with more young Jews and maybe do something that they haven’t done in a while.”
Of course, after the Megillah reading, it was a party. They served delicious kosher food from Hummus Kitchen, including burekkas, shawarma, and pigs in a blanket. Hundreds of hamantaschen were ordered from Reisman’s. Plus some gluten-free ones from Modern Bread and Bagel. There was a live DJ and face painting. It became a night of dancing and schmoozing. The beauty of Purim is that it functions as its own icebreaker.
Lucy recalls, “It was such an easy way for people to go up to each other and start talking, commenting on each other’s costumes. So it was really nice seeing people just engaging and celebrating each other and what each other’s creativity was.”
It was amazing to have 400 Jewish young adults in one space. It’ll be hard to top this year’s attendance, but Lucy is confident.
Lucy states, “I want to give a big shout out to Park Avenue Synagogue for hosting us and for handling so many of the logistics.”
The success of the event is a testament to the community here and the sponsoring organizations. Park Avenue Synagogue on the Upper East Side graciously hosted for the fifth time. It was also hosted by YALA, USY Alumni, JTS Alumni, and Reshet Ramah and received the support of sponsoring organizations: Beth El Synagogue Center, CSAIR, Orangetown Jewish Center, Temple Emanu-El of Closter, Temple Israel Center, and the Etz Hayim at Hollis Hills Bayside. YALA first joined as a host when it was founded in 2024. This event has been happening annually for much longer. It always brings a sizable crowd, but this year was truly madness – in the best way.
