A Very Polish Purim

Sunday

We set out on Sunday to buy costumes . . . so our first stop was the Flea Market.

Shopping- where Poland goes to buy its clothes.

There wasn't much there . . . just lots of cheap shoes, suites and under garments that look like they were supposed to look like expensive things -perfect for the Polish. Not so perfect for us (unless we wanted to dress up like Poles who wear cheap shoes, suites and under garments that look like they were supposed to look like expensive things )
There was also an Arab that spoke to us in Hebrew (he told us that he was from some country called Palistine -I think I read about it once in a history book . . .)

Monday

Binyomin -the Mashgiach- sent us to a theater in the new old city that rents out costumes . . .

the old town

It was in a smelly basement filled to the brim with clothes that seemed (unlike the old city itself)to have survived through the war . . . I mean the First World War.

Trying on costumes

I finally found something that seemed to work -some sort of soldier/conductor/I-don't-know-what costume with a big jacket and a small cap.

I took it.

Then I realized that for L.A. or Montreal it would be very unique . . . but given the way people dress in Poland, myself with a kasket included, I could walk down the street with out a notice (besides for the normal one of being a real Jew that somehow made it out of the text books about Prewar Poland)
Purim!

The big party was set to be at night, with Yankel Adler doing the Kriah, me the conducting (making the announcements and showing people when to make noise for Haman etc) and the Israeli guests doing the interrupting -especially when they couldn't hear themselves of the rude interruptions of various individuals trying to tell them to be quiet.

Then it was time for the party to begin.

Sgt. Poland's Happy Hearts Club

The professor

Avi! -the man behind the bris (a post that was lost when this blog was deleted)

L'chaim Binyomin


Shmueli

When the party was over it was time to start our own . . . Dancing

Dancing

oh yah

dance dance

zalmy

singing

cleaning lady -the beard is part of the costume and 1/5 of actual size of the beard that grows on most Polish Cleaning Ladies

the nose knows

The next day was movtzoiem delivering M'shaloch Manos (Purim gifts of food) to people on the Jewish Poland list . . . the problem, that one out of three no longer lived in Poland. I think it's time for an update.

Then came the Seudah . . .

seudah

with Daniel

Followed by an impromptu Farbregen held for the Jewish students who showed up . . . the seudah was (due to the desire of 'those that are' to not make a big meal so as to dispel the notion that Chabad gives out free food) rather dull (though Avi and Daniel are always good company)

The Farbi is where it all went down -so did I . . .

L'chaim!

dancing on the table

farbrengen

Just like the Jewish people had light, rejoicing, happiness and glory -so to, I hope, there was here in Poland as well (there was a second party made in Gdansk)