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The Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
March 24 - March 30, 2005 Edition
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Masks for Haman March 24, 2005 By JJ Gonson Students of the Hebrew School at the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center show off the colorful and zany masks they will wear during a Purim celebration. From left: Jesse Herman, Tova Katzman, Eli Dagostino, and Stuart Hersh. Photos by JJ Gonson In a circle dance are (clockwise from 12 o'clock): Tova Katzman, Jenna Bernstein, Talia Kagan-Segal, Maya Kagan-Segal, and Gayla Walt. Tristan Roseman-Wilson and Stuart Hersh begin to add color and character to their masks. Tristan Roseman-Wilson and Jenna Bernstein compare their masks. The early spring festival of Purim is a time for noise and celebration. It is a time for costumes and masks, for staying up late and being crazy. On this Jewish holiday, the story is told of an evil man, Haman, who would have convinced the uncaring king to destroy the Jews in Persia. But for the bravery of a young woman named Esther and her cousin Mordecai, who stood up to the king, the Jewish population would have been annihilated. When the story is recalled in modern times it is done with humor, by dressing up in exaggerated costumes, performing a ridiculous caricature of the evil man who so disliked the Jews that he would have had them wiped out. His name is evoked in mockery, catcalled and hooted by children. Triangular cookies, called Hamantashen (Haman's hat), are baked and eaten at the celebration. For several weeks, Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center teacher Nicole Cabot has been working with Hebrew School students on a three-part mask-making project that will culminate in a performance at today's Purim celebration. To begin the project, the teachers smeared Vaseline on the children's faces, and then wrapped their faces with plaster gauze, which hardened to create abstract forms of their faces. Because Purim is a holiday of exaggeration and masks are meant to be unrealistic, they next enhanced the features, drawing out noses and enlarging ears. To make the masks even more animated, children decorated them with bold colors, feathers, baubles, and beads. “It was very tactile,” says Nicole. “The project was very playful, which encouraged the students to explore the part of Purim that is about playfulness. If you could have seen the energy, discussions and attention to detail in the many weeks leading up to Purim, you would have been infected with the playful bug yourself!” The third part of the project has been exploring the personality that the masks bring to the characters in the play. The Purimshpiel the students will be presenting was written by Cheryl Dagostino, an actress with experience in mask theater. According to Nicole, in a Purim play one is not supposed to be able to tell the difference between Haman and the king. When all of the characters have masks on it confuses the viewer's perception. The characters are absurd rather than being clearly defined by traditional costumes. “We can learn a lot from the raucousness of a holiday like Purim,” concludes Nicole. “We can allow ourselves to put playfulness first and the results can be astounding.” Purim celebration, Thurs., March 24, 5:30 pm. Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center, Vineyard Haven. Readings and mask theater performances followed by dinner. Pizza and Middle Eastern food provided; please bring salad, and a non-perishable food item for the Island Food Pantry. JJ Gonson of Chilmark is a photographer who occasionally writes for the Times.

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