Purim events in the Deep South

Here is a selection of Purim events in the region:

Alabama

Temple Beth El in Anniston will have its Purim celebration on March 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Birmingham’s Knesseth Israel will have a Wild West Purim Party on March 9, with a “chicken and trimmings” dinner. The megillah reading will be at 7:30 p.m., followed by the party at 8 p.m. There will be a mechanical bull as part of the festivities. The menu includes “build your own Fritos Chili Pie,” barbecue chicken, Southwest corn salad, gem potato salad, Hawaiian mac salad, corn dogs, fire roasted vegetables, hamantaschen, sorbet, margaritas and other drinks. Reservations are requested by March 5, and are $18 for adults, $10 for ages 12 and under, $72 family maximum. You Belong in Birmingham members can pay $10. Megillah readings will also be held on March 10 at 6:30 a.m., and at 10:30 a.m. followed by a soup and salad Purim meal.

Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El will hold a “Come As You Aren’t” Purim masquerade and megillah party, March 9 at 5:30 p.m. In addition to the megillah reading, there will be a “Trash Bash” costume and mask competition, with a catwalk and contest for the best costumes made out of trash bags. There will also be a sing-a-long with Sarah Metzger, preparation of Mishloach Manot and a burgers and hot dogs cookout. There will also be a megillah reading at the 7 a.m. minyan on March 10.

Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham will have a Purim party on March 8, starting with the megillah reading at 9:30 a.m. The Purim carnival and Shalach Manot project will follow, with lunch available for purchase.

Beit Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will hold Purim in the Shtetl on March 10, with a 4:30 p.m. megillah reading and 5 p.m. party that includes a “Shtetl dinner,” open L’chayims, petting zoo, music and masquerade. Reservations are $18 for adults, $10 for children, with a $54 family maximum. Megillah readings will also be on March 9 at 7:10 p.m. and March 10 at 7:15 a.m.

Chabad and You Belong in Birmingham are also having an adults Purim party and Hamantasch bake, March 8 at 2:30 p.m.

For those who want to keep Purim going, the Levite Jewish Community Center will have a Character Breakfast on March 15 at 10 a.m. There will be people dressed as princesses, superheroes and characters from the Purim story. There will also be face painting, crafts and story time. Advance registration is on the Birmingham Jewish Federation website, and is $18 per child, including one adult entry, through March 10, or $25 at the door. Ages 1 and under are free.

The LJCC will also have a Purim tennis mixer on March 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. Costumes or festive dress are encouraged. The event is a co-ed mixed doubles tournament with round-robin play, and partners will be assigned. Registration is $22.

Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El will have a Purim Potluck and Spiel, March 6 at 6 p.m. Hamantaschen and drinks will be provided. The dinner will be followed by the 7 p.m. Shabbat service.

Chabad of Huntsville will have Purim in NYC, March 10 at 5 p.m. at the Design Lab at Lincoln Mill, with street artists, an open bar, New York deli dinner and megillah reading. Tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for children and $60 family maximum.

Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have its annual Purim hot dog dinner, March 9 at 6 p.m. After the 6:50 p.m. service, the Purim Spiel will feature the Etz Chayim Players and music from the Nefesh Yehudi Choir.

Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will have the Second Annual Intergenerational Purim Pizza Party Pageant, March 6 at 5 p.m., followed by family-friendly Shabbat evening services at 7 p.m. The party includes a Purim craft activity, pizza, learning about Purim, and costume pageants for the children and adults. Reservations are requested, but the event is free.

Chabad of Mobile will have Purim in Persia, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. There will be authentic Persian cuisine by Chef Abba, a caricature artist, a live interactive Queen of Persia game, crafting jeweled mirrors and crowns, live music and a multimedia megillah reading. There is no charge, donations are appreciated. Due to overwhelming response, the event has been moved to 501 Bel Air Boulevard, across from Target.

Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile will have a Purim service, celebration and dinner on March 13 at 6 p.m. There will be a megillah reading, annual contest, skit and meal. Reservations are $5 for adults, children are free.

Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will have a Purim pizza party on March 9 at 5:30 p.m., with a megillah reading at 6:15 p.m. Requested donation is $4 per person, $15 family maximum. At 7 p.m., after the kids depart, there will be Megillah and Mixology, as professional bartender Tyger will teach how to make three cocktails. Ages 21 and up only, $10 donation.

The joint Montgomery Purim celebration will be on March 9 at 6 p.m. at Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem. A light dinner will follow.

Tuscaloosa’s Temple Emanu-El will have its Purim observance on March 8 at 11 a.m.

The University of Alabama Hillel will have its Purim bash on March 9 at The Wheelhouse Downtown. There will be a costume contest, music, games and food, from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Chabad at the University of Alabama will have a hamantaschen bake, March 8 at 6 p.m. On March 9 at 10 p.m., there will be an Out of This World Purim, with outer space costumes encouraged, at the Boom Boom Room. There will be a megillah reading, hamantaschen and two free drinks for those age 21 and up. The first 50 to sign up get in free, after that there is a $5 cover charge.

Florida Panhandle

Chabad Emerald Coast in Destin will have Purim in the Shtetl, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. There will be a megillah reading, delicacies from the shtetl and costumes. There will also be a megillah reading on March 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Chabad of Panama City Beach will have “Purim Under the Sea” on March 10 at 5:30 p.m., with a multimedia megillah reading, buffet dinner, music, children’s activities and masquerade. There is no charge but donations are welcome. There will also be “Unmasked,” a women’s night out, on March 4 at 8:30 p.m., to uncover the meaning behind the Purim costume.

Temple Beth El in Pensacola will have a Purim celebration and megillah reading, March 8 at 11:30 a.m.

The Pensacola Jewish Federation’s community Purim carnival will be on March 8 at 12:15 p.m. at Creative Learning Academy. There will be a bouncy house, obstacle course, face painting, games and prizes for the whole family! Pizza, chips and a drink will be available for $2.

Pensacola Chabad will have a Great Hamantaschen Bakeoff on March 1 at 5:30 p.m. Purim in Jerusalem, with a megillah reading, Israeli cuisine, a Kotel photobooth and caricature artist, will be on March 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Pensacola Little Theater. Reservations are $20 for adults, $10 for children.

Louisiana

Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria will have a Back to the ‘80s Purim for 5780, with karaoke, March 8 at 6 p.m.

B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge will host a joint community Purim celebration for adults, March 9 at 6 p.m. There will be a happy hour, short service, megillah reading and dairy potluck dinner.

B’nai Israel Religious School will have a Purim movie and popcorn on March 15 at 9:30 a.m., then a Purim carnival with photo booth and snowball stand at 10:30 a.m. Beth Shalom families are invited to participate.

Chabad of Baton Rouge will have a community megillah reading on March 9 at 7:45 p.m. Students from LSU are invited to make hamantaschen and come in costume for a chance at a $25 Amazon gift card. On March 10 at 5 p.m., Chabad will hold Purim Under the Sea at the B.R.E.C. Center at Highland Park. There will be a dinner with kosher sushi, a megillah reading and activities. Reservations are $15 for adults, $8 for children, $40 for families. Sponsorships are $180.

Temple Shalom in Lafayette will have a religious school Purim party on March 8 at 10 a.m.

Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville will have a Purim celebration on March 9 at 5:30 p.m. A pizza dinner will be $5 per person, bring a side item or hamantaschen. Beer will be available, everything else is BYOB.

B’nai Israel in Monroe will have hamantaschen baking on March 14 fro 2 to 4 p.m., with Rabbi Judy Caplan Ginsburgh and her secret recipe.

Moishe House New Orleans brings in Purim with a Murder Mystery Night — solving the Purim mystery and encountering a new one. The event will be on March 6 at 8 p.m.

Beth Israel, Shir Chadash and Jewish Community Day School in Metairie will have a joint Purim at Shir Chadash. On March 9 at 7 p.m. there will be the choice of an egalitarian or mechitzah ma’ariv service, followed by a costume parade and megillah reading by Daniel Olson. A second line will follow with the Panorama Jazz Band, dance party and snack bar, with a Matanot L’Evyonim packing project. On March 10, there will be egalitarian or mechitzah Shacharit at 7 a.m., followed by a megillah reading. A Purim meal will be held at the home of Rabbi Josh Pernick at 5:30 p.m.

Jewish Community Day School in Metairie will have a Purim parade and talent show, March 10 at 8:15 a.m.

Slater Torah Academy in Metairie will celebrate Purim on March 10 with a megillah reading at 9:15 a.m. Parents are welcome to join. The seventh grade is organizing a carnival that will be on March 11 at 10 a.m.

Anshe Sfard in New Orleans will have a megillah reading and Purim party with live music, March 9 at 7:30 p.m.

The 51st annual New Orleans community-wide Purim celebration will be held on March 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Uptown Jewish Community Center. The “Human Hamster Ball” and giant slide are back, along with other inflatables. New this year is the Touro Health Fair offering health screenings and interactive educational activities and games. There will be Middle Eastern delicacies and New York-style deli items, snowballs and popcorn, and homemade hamantashen. Admission to the carnival is free and open to the community. A children’s All Day Play Pass is $12, or $10 with a donation of nonperishable items for the Broadmoor Food Pantry.

Chabad of Louisiana will have a Purim in Venice masked ball, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Slater Torah Academy in Metairie. There will be megillah readings at 5:30 and 6:20 p.m. and music from Panorama Jazz Band. A gourmet Italian meat dinner includes a pasta bar, salad bar and Italian wines. Costumes are encouraged. Reservations are $18 for adults and $10 for kids by March 5, $25 and $15 after. Sponsorships are $180.

Chabad will also have megillah readings on March 9, at 7:30 p.m. Uptown and 7:45 p.m. in Metairie, both followed by Purim celebrations, An additional reading will be at 9:30 p.m. On March 10, there will be readings during the 7:30 a.m. service at both locations. Additional readings will be at Tulane Medical Center at 11:45 a.m., Emerald Digital at 12:45 p.m., Lambeth House at 1 p.m., and in the French Quarter at 3:30 p.m., contact Chabad for location.

Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will have Mystery Megillah Theater 5001, March 9 at 6 p.m., with commentary to the megillah reading by some of the congregation’s funniest members. The event is geared for adults and teens 13 and up.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans will have a Chavurah@Sinai event on March 8 at 9 a.m., with a performance by NJBeats at 11 a.m. The LGBTQ Purim celebration will be March 8 at 6:30 p.m. The congregational Purim celebration will be March 9, with a light dinner at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Purim service and megillah reading at 6:15 p.m.

Gates of Prayer in Metairie and TRIBE will have an adults-only Purim celebration on March 9 from 7 to 9 p.m., with “The Muppets Take Purim” by Southern Jewish Life columnist Doug Brook. There will be a megillah reading, food, hamantaschen and daiquiris. There will also be a 50/50 raffle for Nechama, the Jewish disaster relief organization.

The anti-Israel group IfNotNow New Orleans is holding a Purim parade against white nationalism on March 8 at 11 a.m., starting at the corner of Jeff Davis and Banks, to protest “our enemies,” Rep. Steve Scalise and the Republican party.

March 6 will be Purim Shabbat at B’nai Zion in Shreveport, with a musical Purim shpiel, starting at 6 p.m.

Agudath Achim in Shreveport will have its festive meal, megillah reading and talent shpiel on March 9 at 6 p.m. Members will also spend time volunteering on March 10 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana.

The Shreveport Purim carnival, sponsored by the North Louisiana Jewish Federation, will be on March 8 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at B’nai Zion.

Mississippi

Hebrew Union Congregation in Greenville will have a Purim luncheon on March 8.

Beth Israel in Gulfport will have Brunch and Bingo on March 8 from 10 a.m. to noon. On march 10, Beth Israel and Chabad of Southern Mississippi will have a community Purim celebration, Purim in NYC, at Beth Israel. Rabbi Akiva Hall will chant the megillah at 5:30 p.m., followed by a Purim party. The event includes a kosher deli buffet, black and white cookies, hamantaschen and activities.

Beth Israel in Jackson will have a Purim family program and carnival on March 8 at 10 a.m.

B’nai Israel in Tupelo will have a Purim potluck, March 8 at 5 p.m.