The Jewish holiday of Purim which occurs this year on February 27-28 recounts the story of the Jewish community in Persia a long time ago who faced persecution and destruction at the hands of the evil villain named Haman. Only by the graces of good luck as well as the efforts of the Jewish Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai did the Jewish community persevere, survive, and spoil Haman and his followers plot. One of the interesting things about this story is that God’s name never appears in the actual story, which appears in the Scroll of Esther. This is rare among all of the books of the Jewish Bible. Many commentators point out that even though God’s name does not appear, God still is a source of inspiration for the Jews and plays an important role behind the scenes. As the Jewish community celebrates Purim this year I ask us to consider in which ways that God or Jewish culture and wisdom that can help inspire us to lead lives full of meaning and blessing, just like in the story of Purim. One way to gain that inspiration and insight is through further engagement in Jewish life. Here at the JCC we have several opportunities for all ages to do just that. One of our new programs, the Museum of Imajewnation is one that will be quite inspiring as we reflect on Jewish grogger art connected to the holiday of Purim. Don’t miss the opportunity to check it out! We also will be planning more innovative and enriching Jewish culture and educational programming as we soon open the new Arts and Education building at the Staenberg Family Complex. I hope to see you at the J!