Purimpalooza = Hilarious

Beer, pizza, and hamantashen don’t usually scream “ragefest.” But this killer combo of snacks and booze attracted plenty of students to Hillel Saturday night to celebrate Purimpalooza, Hillel’s contemporary take on a traditional Jewish holiday.

For the gentiles among you, Purim looks like Halloween meets Mardi Gras with a Jewish back story. The holiday commemorates the failure of the evil Haman’s plot to destroy all the Jews, which provides the perfect excuse to get smashed while sporting ridiculous outfits. Campus Rabbi and Orthodox Rabbinic Advisor Avi Poupko came dressed as the Pope in full regalia, complete with a guitar on his back. Former Jewish band member Raphael S.N. Nemes ’05 and his friend Joseph D. Tarkoff took a less religious approach, dressing up as Borat and Azumat, respectively.

Miriam R. Hinman ’08 also veered away from a Jewish-inspired costume. She was dressed as Pippi Longstocking with long striped socks and pigtails that defied gravity with help from a hidden wire. “It’s certainly getting a lot of attention,” says Hinman.

As the party raged on, Jewish rock band Red Heifer made the walls of Beren Hall throb with deafening bass as the Purimpalooza attendees hit the dance floor. The band puts its own kosher spin on rock-and-roll classics, and normally caters to the Jewish party-animal crowd with songs like “I Can’t Get No Hamantashen.”

“Purim is joyous,” says Bernard Steinberg, the executive director of Harvard Hillel. “This looks like the best turnout we’ve had in recent years.” There’s only one downside: You’ll have a head-pounding hamantashen hangover in the morning.