At Arizona State University, Purim Brings an Annual Celebration That鈥檚 Open to All
College traditions are one of the most important parts of a campus culture 鈥 and Hillel traditions are no exception!
At Arizona State University, the annual Purim Casino Night is a favorite Hillel event for students and staff. With a new theme every year (this year鈥檚 was 鈥淭he Great Gatsby鈥), students from all four ASU campuses were invited to participate in games, enjoy Purim-themed cocktails (for those 21+) and mocktails, and have a great time celebrating the holiday.
鈥淐asino Night is such an amazing event because of its diverse turnout,鈥 said Rachel Lowenthal (Class of 2024), signature social chair at ASU Hillel. 鈥淚 invited a few of my non-Jewish co-workers, who had never been to a Hillel event before. Hillel provided a welcoming environment where everyone who attended could feel comfortable and have a good time.鈥
For Rachel, a senior graduating this May, this year鈥檚 event was especially meaningful.
鈥淚 was a freshman in college while COVID restrictions were still active, and because of that, Casino Night was on Zoom,鈥 she said. 鈥淥ur incredible staff made it as special as possible, but it was not the same. Seeing the difference between then and now, where we can gather in person and see how much the event has grown – has been amazing.鈥
Because ASU鈥檚 academic calendar ends in early May, Purim Casino Night marked the end of 鈥淧urim season鈥 鈥 usually consisting of several smaller Purim events concluding with an annual Purim Shabbat 鈥 and the beginning of their Senior Series, celebrating members of the Hillel community who will be graduating later that spring.
鈥淲e do a senior toast at Casino Night, and then we really get to start bringing the class together and just celebrating everything they鈥檝e achieved,鈥 said Beth Goldsobel (Class of 2025), ASU Hillel鈥檚 student president. 鈥淪ince we鈥檙e so spread out across the different campuses, this is a chance for people who don鈥檛 necessarily get to see each other all the time, especially seniors who are so busy working and teaching 鈥 they really look forward to it.鈥
The Purim Casino Night is ASU Hillel鈥檚 signature event, and this year pulled in a crowd of about 150 students.
鈥淢ore students are showing up in different ways than we鈥檝e seen in the past,鈥 Beth said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 been so great to see students get so excited and get so involved 鈥 you can tell how much everyone here cares. The community is coming together to celebrate, and the fact that we鈥檝e been able to find light in some of these darker times has been something I鈥檓 really proud of.鈥
Congratulations to ASU on another successful Purim Casino Night! Next year鈥檚 event is sure to be even better, and we can鈥檛 wait to see it.