DeKALB – A carnival, Megillah reading and potluck dinner will be held by Congregation Beth Shalom in DeKalb, serving DeKalb and Kane counties, to mark the holiday of Purim. The events will be held at the congregation’s synagogue at 820 Russell Road in DeKalb. The congregation’s rabbi, Maralee Gordon, will preside.

Purim marks a time long ago when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The story of Purim, which is told in the Bible in the book of Esther, involves a beautiful young Jewish woman named Esther and her cousin Mordecai. Esther becomes the queen of the king of Persia, Ahasuerus, who does not know that she is Jewish. The villain is Haman, an adviser to the king, who hatches a plot to destroy the Jewish people. Mordecai and Esther are able to foil the plot, saving the Jews. Meanwhile, Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had had prepared for Mordecai.

On Purim, Jews are commanded to hear the reading of the book of Esther, which is usually referred to as the Megillah (a word that means “scroll”). Whenever people hear the name of Haman during the reading, they boo, hiss, stamp their feet and rattle noisemakers called groggers. People are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. Another custom is to eat hamentaschen, triangular fruit-filled cookies that are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat.