The Purim story serves as a metaphor for coming out, rising up and living courageously in times of crisis and fear.
The tradition of making noise when Haman’s name is mentioned during the chanting of the Book of Esther is a custom that was developed by our sages over time. The origins of this practice are rooted in the broader Jewish tradition of expressing disdain for Amalek – the ancestor of Haman – and fulfilling the commandment to “blot out the memory of Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:19).
How do we rise up to “make noise” in this moment against the modern day tyrants that are acute threats to democracy, peace, the climate, and human rights?
Join Lab/Shul for a vibrant array of Purim experiences for all ages, where revelry and radical joy intertwine through SONIC storytelling, interactive art, and immersive ritual celebration.
Click the buttons below or scroll down for all the details on all of our Purim programming.
Now/Next
Dive into the intellectual atmosphere of paradoxes, controversies, and debates at the BESEDA: COJECO Jewish Intellectual Club. With wine and cheese reception. Explore the hidden history and current political purpose of the most misunderstood Jewish holiday with the acclaimed Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie.
Dig into the costume closet for this hamantaschen baking party. Gather for this raucous gathering of costumery, storytelling, and hamantaschen cookie making. FamilyLab's Purim celebration creates lasting memories of a truly inside out, upside down story of integrity, courage, and wild hearted mission to change the world. Stand up and make some noise!
Families in our 2024-2025 "Raising the Bar" cohort join together with Project ORE participants to enjoy a festive meal, share foodie-goodie bags (Mishloach manot) and give/receive necessary items to help folks in need.
How Do We Deal with Our Collective Shadows and Lift Up Our Light? Pull up a chair and Join Rabbi Amichai online to explore the political, historical, spiritual and practical dimensions of Purim - the most misunderstood Jewish holiday - at this critical time. This is an open study session + conversation to make sense of Purim in 2025, activating this holiday of upside-down as a powerful portal for cultivation of courage and compassion, resilience and resistance, humor and joy, with our eye on justice and hope - for all.
Join Lab/Shul and Flaminggg to immerse in a Purim Eve experience, where Sonic revelry and performance art collide to transform sacred Noise into a powerful force for this moment.
News
This Purim’s Purpose? // Expand Empathy + Cultivate Courage
Purim's back! Once again, we flip life upside down to celebrate Jewish resilience and release some steam. And wow—do we need it. But in a time when reality already feels upside down—with continued conflicts, [...]
PURIM 5785: The Art of Sonic Resistance
Where else would you want to be this Purim in a year when our world is turning upside down? Join Lab/Shul & Flaminggg NEXT THURSDAY (3/13) for SONIC - a Purim Eve ritual performance [...]
Lab/Shul Highlights JTA’s Mar 4, 2025 Article by R. Amichai Lau-Lavie & Julie Dorf
Christian conservatives have appropriated Queen Esther as a symbol. Let’s take her back. Written By Amichai Lau-Lavie & Julie Dorf March 4, 2025 Queen Esther is back in the news — and it’s not [...]
Some days are ordinary. Some become extraordinary, with extra, unique meaning that becomes prized memories…
@labshul and Rabbi @amichailaulavie invite you to join us and our community for a season of holy days marking Israel’s 77th birthday—a time to wrestle with meaning and legacy, alongside partners and activists, as we hold space for present pain and future hope.
Together, let us wish with all our hearts for better days, for all of us, on every holy land upon this sacred earth.
Read R. Amichai’s reflection on his time in Israel and Palestine via our BLOG LINK in our bio or visiting: https://www.labshul.org/category/blog/
Join us for our WOVEN WEEK OF INTERDEPENDENCE via our CALENDAR LINK in our bio or visit: https://www.labshul.org/a-woven-week-of-interdependence-2025/
#Labshul #Joinus #gather #shabbat #sabbath #ritual #godoptional #everybodyfriendly #artistdriven #experimentaljudaism #queerjudaism #JewishLife #jewishholidays #jewishevents #jewishtradition #jewishcommunity #israel #palestine #interdependence #wovenweekofinterdependence #wovenweek #wovenweekofinterdependence2025
A WOVEN WEEK OF INTERDEPENDENCE
April 27- May 2 2025 // 2-8 Iyar 5785
Join the Lab/Shul community and our partners, as we mark these complex days of commemoration, celebration, and commitment to healing and hope for all the people of Israel and Palestine.
This year, as the violence and pain continues to rupture lives and relationships in the Middle East and all over the world, we gather in NYC + online, weaving our different voices with respect and love, as we weave multiple strands and narratives into a single tapestry of trust, resilience, support, and solidarity. Our stories are intertwined and only together we can forge a kinder future.
Join us to stand together for a better future of interdependence, safety and justice for all.
Together, we are entering the modern season of sacred days, weaving together multiple strands into a single tapestry of past pain, present reality, and future hopes. Through immense complexity, this new month of Iyar enables us to rise up with resilience, support, understanding and healing.
We hope to gather with you and stand in solidarity.
📲 Register for one or more programs through the CALENDAR link in our bio or visit: https://www.labshul.org/a-woven-week-of-interdependence-2025/
#labshul #wovenweek #interdependence #wovenweekofinterdependence
Thank you to everyone who has shared their voice with us so far!
We’re excited to hear from even more of you — so we’re extending the deadline for our Community Survey.
👉 Take 15 minutes to share your thoughts by April 20, 2025 — Link in bio or visit:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUeOUCQvKcBZVUsX7GB4CBTew5qv8Lq-AOqT3-nnM8g_lguw/viewform
A personal invitation from @naomiless1 to join us this Sunday for ReCollect >> online >> bring a family artifact or stories or simply yourself. We will hold this precious time and space together in community.
Recollect Seasonal Kaddish Gathering
Sunday, April 20th, 2025
6:30pm ET Online
📲 REGISTER through the calendar LINK in bio or visit https://www.labshul.org/event/recollect-seasonal-kaddish-gathering-6/
Spring brings a season of memory – collective, memory in the Passover story where the Jewish people left Egypt, but there was much loss along the way. Passover is the second of three ancient pilgrimage holidays when collective community gathers to remember (Yizkor). We will gather at the end of Passover online on April 20th 6:30pm Eastern time to reflect on the holiday and connect to our memories.
Whether you’ve experienced a recent loss, are remembering a loved one who passed long ago, or showing up in support of community, you are welcome here. Together, we acknowledge feelings of loss that can be particularly painful as we anticipate empty chairs at our tables and holes in our hearts.
#labshul #yizkor #kaddish #passover #passover5785 #pesach #community
🎭Program Alert: Becoming Israel 2025 & Talkback 🎭
In partnership with @LabShul, you are invited to join us for a powerful staged reading of Becoming Israel, an original play by Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, directed by Annie Levy, and first staged in 2008. Revised for 2025, this performance explores the modern challenges and realities of Israel/Palestine and Jewish identity.
The evening will feature:
🎭A staged reading by Maryam Chishti, Ben Freeman, and @melissadawnshaw
🎤A special talkback with Rabbi @amichailaulavie, Director @agl.for.short, and Melissa Shaw
🍎Light nosh and meaningful conversation!
🗓️ Date: Sunday, April 27, 2025
⏰ Time: 6:15 PM Doors | 6:30-9:00 PM ET Program
📍 Location: NYC (address shared upon registration)
🔗 RSVP: Registration required! www.labshul.org/event/becoming-israel-2025
#BecomingIsrael2025 #LabShul #Israel #Palestine #JewishIdentity #Torah #Storahtelling #Theatre #TheatreNYC #CulturalConversation
#icymi — In Case You Missed It...
SAVE SAYDER 5785/2025 —
How to Lead + Prep the Perfect Passover Seder in 2025; Created in partnership with @rebootjewish , our 2025 DIY Workshop was led by led by Lab/Shul’s Leaders and is now available as a replay on YOUTUBE. Please use at your Seder this year and consider a donation to @Labshul
📲 Access the Replays vis our WATCH link in bio or visit: https://youtu.be/iPSYWoH4NqI or
https://youtu.be/a632RYlgOa8
📲 Access SAYder Four New Questions Handout: https://www.labshul.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SAYder-Four-New-Question-Handout_2025.pdf
📲 Access SAYder Hosting Guide: https://www.labshul.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SAYder-Four-New-Questions-Host-Guide_2025.pdf
#labshul #godoptional #everybodyfriendly #artistdriven
#experimentaljudaism #queerjudaism #passover2025 #jewishcommunity #jewishholidays
#jewishpeople #jewishlife #matzah #passover #pesach #seder #sayder
#jewishculture #judaism #reformjudaism
#chagsameach
🔔PROGRAM ALERT 🔔
On March 31 at 7 PM ET, Thrive: The Jewish Coalition to Protect Trans and LGBQ+ Youth, Lab/Shul, Keshet, SOJOURN, JFREJ, and the RAC are bringing together a powerful coalition of Jewish organizations and individuals to take sustained, tangible action for trans rights.
No Trans Visibility Without Community Safety
On Trans Day of Visibility:
March 31, 2025, at 7 pm ET / 6 pm CT / 4 pm PT
Register here: https://bit.ly/ThriveTDOV
In this critical moment, our Jewish communities hold unique power to protect and advocate for our trans, nonbinary, and intersex communities. Join us as we hear directly from the community about what’s needed—and how we can all step up to ensure safety, dignity, and justice for trans people everywhere.
#Labshul #Joinus #gather #shabbat #sabbath #ritual #godoptional #everybodyfriendly #artistdriven #experimentaljudaism #queerjudaism #JewishLife #jewishholidays #jewishevents #jewishtradition #jewishcommunity #transdayofvisibility #tdov
🔔 PROGRAM ALERT 🔔
Recollect Seasonal Kaddish Gathering
Sunday, April 20th, 2025
6:30pm ET Online
Spring brings a season of memory – collective, memory in the Passover story where the Jewish people left Egypt, but there was much loss along the way. Passover is the second of three ancient pilgrimage holidays when collective community gathers to remember (Yizkor). We will gather at the end of Passover online on April 20th 6:30pm Eastern time to reflect on the holiday and connect to our memories.
Lab/Shul’s ReCollect/Yizkor is a seasonal gathering to remember our loved ones, share stories, lift memory, and say Kaddish, the ancient memorial prayer, together.
Whether you’ve experienced a recent loss, are remembering a loved one who passed long ago, or showing up in support of community, you are welcome here. Together, we acknowledge feelings of loss that can be particularly painful as we anticipate empty chairs at our tables and holes in our hearts.
📲 Register through CALENDAR LINK in bio or visit: https://www.labshul.org/event/recollect-seasonal-kaddish-gathering-6/
