If you’d been wandering around East London on March 14th, you might have thought you’d fallen down a rabbit hole. Characters from Alice in Wonderland mingled with men in tutus, and menacing masked guards from Squid Game chatted to couples clad in neon 80s-style Lycra.
In fact, you’d have found yourself at GesherEU’s annual Purim extravaganza – the biggest and best yet – where around 25 members got together to enjoy a fancy-dress party with music, dancing, drinks and a finger-food buffet.
Historically, GesherEU’s Purim party always took place at founder Emily’s house. But the membership has now outgrown her living room and, this year, the charity wanted a larger, more atmospheric celebration. The chosen venue was a New York-style loft space in Shoreditch. Organiser Moishy Wajnsztok put together a playlist of dance tracks, with a few Purim tunes sprinkled in to mark the Jewish celebration. He and his girlfriend, who is Kurdish, even attempted a traditional Kurdish dance. Yehuda, a member who attended, said: “The party was lovely and a great chance to catch up with friends, make new ones, dance and experience Purim in my own way.” Another commented, anonymously: “The party was amazing. It felt really nice that you could let loose and enjoy celebrating Purim with people who are in the same boat as you.”