How A Retreat In Barcelona is Fueling Purim Celebrations Across Europe

By Gabriel Weinstein, Marketing Content Strategist/Writer

Moishe House Budapest resident Kata Martincsák was familiar with the Purim story. She knew the characters and arc of Megilat Esther. Kata knew of the directive to be joyful and celebrate. But it was not until Kata arrived in Barcelona in February for the Purim Plot Twist: Community Building For Change retreat that she considered the presence and role of women’s voices in the Purim narrative.

When she walked into a session titled “Queen or Victim? Women and Power on Purim” featuring female voices from Megilat Esther and prominent women leaders like Holocaust survivor and French politician Simone Veil, her view of Purim began to shift. She gained a new understanding of Vashti’s role in the Purim story and the complexities of the many identities, visible and hidden, Esther must juggle. And Kata knew she needed to create a similar program for her community in Budapest. “I had never heard anyone speaking from this perspective [about Purim],” Kata said.

Inspired by her experience in Barcelona, Kata organized Purim reading circle events for her Moishe House community. She used some of the sources she learned about in Barcelona and added her own perspective to her events. A writer and curator, Kata incorporated texts from Hungarian artists and Holocaust survivors into her reading circles. She said that many attendees had never heard of the Hungarian voices Kata included in her reading circles. In addition to Kata’s, another resident in Moishe House Budapest led a reading circle focused on vengeance.   “It’s interesting to speak about alternative ways of understanding Purim. It gives a little bit of hope and power to people.”

Like Kata, Moishe House London – Kilburn resident Anat Dean arrived in Barcelona with knowledge of the Purim story. For Anat, a new Moishe House resident and software developer and former software development instructor, the retreat gave her context for how to organize Jewish educational content. Inspired by a session in Barcelona titled “Time for Purimprov,” Anat led a Purim improv event for her community.  Through the tumult of improv, the London – Kilburn community experienced the multitudes of Purim, Anat said.

“It was full of a lot of laughter and joy, and was certainly chaotic at times,” Anat shared after her event. “In all it felt like it was really staying true to the themes of Purim that I was trying to impart.”

Gathering in the shadow of October 7^th, the retreat provided a special opportunity for Moishe House community builders to gather during a time of stress for global Jewry. In the hills outside Barcelona, retreat participants laughed, danced, and had a moving outdoor Havdalah. It all left them energized and inspired to create even more joy for their communities in celebrating Purim. “[Being at the retreat] felt ultimately a bit surreal,” Anat said. “I hadn’t been in that position in a long time. [It felt] something adjacent to the idea of radical resistance.”