Purim began on the preceding Shabbat, when the brothers at the AEPi fraternity graciously hosted us at the house. There's nothing like a good round of "Ain't Gonna Work on Saturday". The wonderful atmosphere at the Shabbat meal was a good warmer for the upcoming Purim.

On Saturday night several students came over to Chabad to help pack tens of Purim gifts. These were to be distributed to the elderly, so that they too could share in the Purim joy, as well as to Jews all over town. In fact, over one hundred students received the gift packets, together with a note about the holiday.

The night of Purim, over forty students packed into the JSU co-op to celebrate Purim student style. The students of JSU put out a spread of food and drink, to which Rebbetzin Sorele contributed. The Brownsteins came in Purim getup, dressed as a train engineer, a 19th century lady, Mordechai, a giraffe, and a baby girl (who is really a boy). The students were certainly having fun drowning out Haman's name during the reading of the Megillah.

On Purim day, after a visit to Davis senior citizens, the Klezmer Purim began. As the Davis Klezmer Band struck up, families sat down to a delicious buffet dinner at the Teen Center. There was a break for a final Megillah reading, and then we danced away the evening to Israeli dance tunes. You might say that Davis really felt Purim this year.