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Chabad of Port Washington along with 20,000 Islanders fans got an early start on Purim this year during the Islanders game at the Coliseum this past Tuesday. We were honored to have an unprecedented opportunity to share a captivating Purim message with the fans two days before the holiday.
 Our message reflected the story of Purim giving fans at the coliseum a foretaste and some food for thought on the festive Jewish holiday as they watched the Rabbi and a team of children in holiday spirit & gear on-screen. Graggars in hand, the children made lots of noise following the Rabbi’s remarks: “...The miracle of Purim is celebrated with tremendous joy and festivity. It teaches a very basic but critical message: Celebrate life! That’s right – celebrate every day of life. Enjoy it! Fill each day with joy and optimism, because life’s a gift! An optimistic attitude towards life is a sign of strong faith in the Creator of life. And a positive attitude becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Try it – you’ll see miraculous results in YOUR life...” I concluded by reminding the fans to celebrate Purim on Thursday night and Friday and wished them all a very Happy Purim.
As I made my rounds through the coliseum — sporting my #18 “RABBI” Jersey — numerous fans, from all ethnicities, stopped me to take pictures and salute Chabad for the wonderful message. Introducing himself as ‘not a member of the Jewish tribe’, one inspired fan said “Your message was uplifting and meaningful to people of all races and religions – we all need to be reminded now and then to cherish the life we have and I personally thank you for bringing this ever-important message to Coliseum tonight.”
The event was truly remarkable and I invite you to watch our clip online and view photos of this memorable evening: www.IslandersPurim.com.
Shabbat Shalom & HaPPy pUrIM,
Rabbi Shalom M Paltiel
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