Purim Pandemonium 2012: Gin & Jews

A blog post by Archivist Jennifer Vess.

We may only be half-way through Chanukah, but here at the JMM we’re already thinking about Purim. Specifically Purim Pandemonium.

So far we’ve partied like it’s 1942…

Put on a circus…

Photo by Will Kirk.

Had a Night in Noir…

Photo by Will Kirk.

And battled Heroes vs. Villains

Photo by Will Kirk.

This much fun doesn’t just happen. In fact the staff at the JMM brings in outside help. We have an entire committee devoted to making this party work. This past Monday we had our third Purim Pandemonium Committee meeting.

What do we do at Purim Pandemonium Committee meetings? Step one: Eat well.

Good food is one way to guarantee our committee members come back for each meeting.

Once everyone’s filled up their plates, we get down to business. The committee makes decisions about refreshments, tickets, decorations, music, and of course the theme. This year’s theme?

Gin & Jews: Speakeasy style

We are reviving the speakeasies of the Prohibition era and bringing the Roaring 20s back to life.

This theme was inspired by a new sponsor to the event, Distillery 209 out of San Francisco. Distillery 209 will be providing us with their Kosher for Passover Gin.

We’ve been having a blast thinking up the décor for the event and planning our costumes. The 1920s and early 1930s have some amazing costume options. This year we’re regularly tweeting costume ideas at http://twitter.com/#!/jewishmuseummd and when its get’s closer to the actuall event we’ll do a costume blog post as well. But to get you started here’s some period photographs from our own JMM collection.