Northampton observers cheered and honked in support as a playfully-clad group paraded down the city sidewalks Thursday in celebration of Purim. United in joyful song, about 100 students and staff from Lander-Grinspoon Academy and the nearby Gan Keshet Jewish Community Preschool of the Pioneer Valley walked nearly a mile and a half to share their merriment. Lander-Grinspoon Academy is a Jewish day school currently serving 66 kindergarten through sixth-grade students.

Lander-Grinspoon kindergarten teacher Amy Meltzer explained that wearing costumes is one of the big traditions of Purim, because it is a “topsy turvy holiday.”

“The story of Purim takes place in ancient Persia,” she said. “There is a wicked man named Haman who wants to destroy all of the Jewish people because one Jewish man named Mordecai won’t bow down to him. There happens to be a Jewish queen named Esther, who has kept her Jewish religion – that part of her identity – a secret.”

In the story, Esther bravely goes to the king after learning of the plot and convinces him to save the Jewish people.

“Haman had planned to hang Mordecai on a gallows. Instead, in the end, Haman is the one who ends up being hung,” she said “so everything is kind of reversed.”

The parade was the final celebratory event after nearly three weeks of studying about the holiday, and a week of related school events.

“It’s important for kids to celebrate their Judaism and enjoy their religion and culture,” said Deborah Bromberg Seltzer, principal of the school.

Seltzer noted that the students had participated in the four main parts of celebrating Purim: Reading the Purim story from the book of Esther, giving gifts of food to friends, giving gifts of food to those in need, and the final event of eating, drinking and merriment, which encapsulated the parade. 

“Many Jewish holidays involve some threat or plot against the Jewish people,” said Meltzer. “The plot does not succeed, and then we celebrate. I think there’s an old Jewish joke that says every holiday is ‘someone tried to kill us and we won. Let’s eat.’ Purim is one of those holidays.”

Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com.