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At this Dallas synagogue, Purim comes with fog machines, zip lines and Broadway flair

JL;DR SUMMARY Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas transforms its annual Purim spiel into a spectacular theatrical event, utilizing innovative stagecraft reminiscent of Broadway productions. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

PurimJewish LifeCommunity EngagementBroadwayJewish TheaterCongregation Shearith IsraelSpectacleCultural ContinuityModern RelevanceRabbi Adam Roffman

Places mentioned

Dallas, Texas, United States
"the congregants of the historic Conservative shul in Dallas knew they were in for something far more ambitious"
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
"Roffman grew up in Baltimore attending a Jewish day school"
New York City, New York, United States
"an earlier stint in a musical theater in New York City"

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Retrieved 2026-03-03 05:30:59 UTC
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