The Jewish calendar’s most joyous holiday brought vibrant celebrations to Jewish college students across North America and Israel this year. While many universities were on spring break during Purim (March 13-14, 2025), JLIC at schools where students remained on campus created meaningful and festive experiences. This roundup highlights the creative programming at these active campuses, while acknowledging that many JLIC locations were quiet with students away for break.
Pre-Purim Preparation
Many campuses built excitement with pre-holiday events including Hamantashen baking workshops, Mishloach Manot packing events, and educational sessions explaining the holiday’s customs and significance.
Active Celebrations Across the JLIC Network
North America Campuses
Rutgers University offered a comprehensive Purim experience:
- Evening megillah reading followed by a festive Casino Night and a break-fast
- Friday morning services with additional megillah reading
- A special JLIC Meat Brunch Seudah in collaboration with other local Jewish student organizations
NYU hosted a comprehensive Purim schedule:
- Megillah reading and Maariv on Thursday evening, followed by a light break-fast
- A Laser Tag & Dinner event at Area 53 that became one of the most popular celebrations
- Multiple megillah readings on Friday, including a dedicated women’s reading
- Brunch followed by a special Shalhevet Chessed Event
- Shalhevet Purim Seudah & Shpiel to close out the festivities
Queens College transformed their Purim with:
- A women’s-focused “Candy Charcuterie Board” workshop where students created beautiful mishloach manot arrangements for Purim
- Megillah reading for students followed by a festive meal
Brooklyn College offered specialized programming:
- “Purim Tambourine Decorating” workshop for Jewish women, complete with a meat lunch
- Megillah reading followed by a Brazilian-style Seudah
University of Maryland stayed active with:
- Purim Tisch celebration on Friday night
- Costume contests with prizes for most creative designs
UCLA offered community through:
- “Mishloach Manot Making” with dinner provided
- Megillah readings at multiple times
- A festive post-reading meal with encouragement to come in costume
JLIC and Yavneh West Coast hosted a standout “Poker Purim Party” featuring:
- Casino games, dancing, and drinks
- Costume competition with prizes
- Traditional mangal (Middle Eastern BBQ) alongside modern festivities
Israel
JLIC Jerusalem honored both Purim and Shushan Purim (March 15-16) with:
- Wine and cheese Purim trivia at The Tibbetts
- Purim crafts with seniors at Jerusalem of Gold care home
- Multiple megillah reading options
- A community wide seudah and party
JLIC Tel Aviv focused on charitable initiatives:
- “Matanot L’evyonim 2025” supporting those experiencing homelessness, Holocaust survivors, and hostage families
- A “Purim Sameach” event packing mishloach manot
- A special Hostage Family Forum event at SkyJump followed by a Purim celebration
JLIC Herzliya and JLIC Technion organized distinctive events:
- “Purim Upside Down” theme at Herzliya with a creative seudah
- Wild West themed Purim Seudah at Technion featuring a costume contes, soup bar, and a completely transformed home to match the theme
Ben Gurion University, Ariel University, Tel Aviv University, and Bar Ilan University celebrated with megillah readings, parties, and community wide Seudah invitations to everyone who wanted to join.
Fulfilling Purim’s Four Mitzvot
Active JLIC campuses ensured students could fulfill all four Purim obligations:
- Megillah Readings: Multiple readings were available at different times, with women-led readings offered at several locations
- Matanot La’evyonim: A JLIC wide initiative took place to support Yad Eliezer in addition to many campus specific efforts
- Mishloach Manot: Creative workshops helped students prepare packages and mishloach manot exchanges encouraged community building
- Seudah: Many communities hosted themed meals which ranged from Wild West at Technion to Brazilian-style at Brooklyn JLIC, with many incorporating costume contests as part of the festivities.
While many JLIC campuses were quiet due to spring break, those with students present demonstrated remarkable creativity and commitment to authentic celebration. From themed seudahs to charitable initiatives, megillah readings to costume contests, JLIC directors ensured that the Purim spirit flourished wherever Jewish students gathered.
The diverse programming across active campuses reflected both the joy of the holiday and the adaptability of JLIC directors, who transformed Purim into opportunities for community building and meaningful Jewish experiences.
Reach out to any of our Directors to learn more about JLIC and our local programming.
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