Purim is more than just a holiday—it’s a wild, joyful, and defiant celebration of Jewish identity, resilience, and creativity. In this class, we’ll explore the themes in the megillah (scroll) of Esther: how irreverence can be sacred, how joy can be an act of resistance, and how creativity fuels Jewish continuity. Through text study and discussion, we’ll uncover the radical optimism at the heart of Purim and discover what it can teach us about embracing life with courage, humor, and unshakable Jewish pride. No background necessary - come ready to contribute your questions and ideas and learn from others.

Elisha Gechter has been working in the Boston Jewish Community for 17 years – at the Harvard Kennedy School for the last decade, working to support Israeli students, and previously connecting people searching for community and for Jewish wisdom as the Associate Director of Adult Learning and Community Engagement at Hebrew College and fundraising with local young leaders at the Jewish Federation, CJP. She has a BA in psychology from Yeshiva University in New York and an MA/MBA from Brandeis’ Heller Hornstein Program in Jewish Leadership and Non-Profit Management. She is currently pursuing Rabbinical Ordination from Yeshivat Maharat in their part-time executive track and hopes to graduate this June. She is a board member with Mayyim Hayyim Mikvah and Education Center, is an alum of Encounter, an educator on local Honeymoon Israel programs, and through Hebrew College's Tamid Jewish learning programs. Elisha lives in Somerville with her husband and two kids and is an active minyan goer.