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The Ringing of Groggers Announce the Arrival of Purim in Prague
In anticipation of Purim, JDC sent groggers (noise makers) to the children from the Prague Jewish community to use for the festivities. This year the Prague Jewish Community’s Purim celebration will take on new meaning. The community leaders are planning, as always, to present a Purim spiel (play) that involves all generations of the Community. The excitement surrounding this year's Purim spiel is greater than ever as a film crew will be in attendance recording the performance. A Czech production company plans to film the Community’s Purim play and integrate the footage into a documentary about Purim in the Terezin Concentration Camp. The children will be featured in the film as a way to demonstrate the vibrancy of the community today.
The inspiration for the film comes from a little known piece of history regarding the performance of a play about Queen Esther (the heroine from the Purim Story) that was held in the Terezin Concentration camp during World War II. Survivors of Terezin will be present at the Purim spiel and will share memories of their time in the camp. The film will include interviews with the survivors, emphasizing that, despite the odds, the community is still active and involved in sharing and publicizing the Purim story. Approximately 1,600 Jews currently live in Prague and there are 1,100 Jews in other communities throughout the Czech Republic. This strong thriving community is essentially self-sufficient. JDC continues to provide technical assistance in the areas of welfare and Jewish renewal activities, and it also provides limited financial support for specific cultural and educational programs. February 2007 |
