Purim Fun at Immanuel

Tuesday, 10th March 2009

Purim 2009, which fell on a school day for the first time for several years, was celebrated with great energy and style. Pupils and teachers indulged their freedom to adopt a new identity for the day in varied ways. Two Year 9 pupils, Aaron Lester and Sammy Hakimian, carried off the palm in the individual category of the fancy dress

competition by dressing as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, - whether these two indistinguishable characters are in fact one is a subject for a Purim spiel. No such difficulties attend the runner-up, another Year 9 pupil, Jacob Rabin, who hid his true identity behind the costume and features of the Joker from Batman. The category of best form group was won by 8DMO; Mr Moss was the formidable leader of an IDF unit. The runners-up in this category were the Year 10 girls, who dressed as dolls, and whose form teachers, Mrs Shackell and Miss Ribeiro, were totally

convincing as Shacks, the scholarly and other-worldly

custodian of historical dolls, and Ribs, the ?mad scientist? restorer of broken dolls. Joshua Platt, as Danger Mouse, lived up to his character?s reputation for derring-do by executing a flamboyant dance in the closing stages of the Megillah reading. The appearance on Purim morning of the Head of Psychology dressed as the White Rabbit

confirmed the suspicions of unenlightened members of the school community about the effects of studying her

subject.

Megillat Esther was read memorably by Mr Gillis, and, as a result, a commendably attentive school heard the whinnying of the horse on whose back Mordechai sits as Haman leads him around Sushan to public acclamation. Pupils who wished to check the progress of the narrative were able to look at the modern version of the story, created by Mr Baigel and projected on two large screens, in which Ahasuerus?s role was taken by Prince Charles, Vashti was played by Anne Robinson and Esther by Marge Simpson.

The Talent Competition, presided over by Mr Drucker, who had masterminded the day, was won by Eli Baigel of Year 8 who sang verses from Leonard Cohen?s ?Hallelujah?, and who accompanied himself on the guitar. The runner-up was Joel Fisher, (Year 11), who performed ?Not a Day goes By? and was accompanied by Daniel Turek, (also of Year 11). Alfie Charles of Year 10 gained third place by demonstrating impressive virtuosity with a diablo and, at one point, two diablos.

A noteworthy source of the audience?s enjoyment were the competition?s compères, Samuel Kennard and Alexander Seftel, who between the acts explored wittily such matters as the proper response to hotel wake-up calls, the type of person who phones numbers requesting comments on the quality of driving of the vehicle in front of them and the straitjacket of cliché.

As I sat on the Gymnasium stage with my fellow judges of the Talent Competition, Mr Felsenstein and Mrs Fleet, and looked out on the audience, I felt great pride in the strong sense of community among the pupils, the product of their kindness to and affection for one another, and their high standards of conduct. It was a great Purim on which shelach manot were exchanged, tzedakah, to the tune of £1,200, was raised for Jewish families whose need for financial help is keenest as Pesach approaches, and key strengths of our school exhibited fully.