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‘Slash the Stache’ highlights Purim event at Temple El Emeth
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Tom Borocz of Girard, a professional barber, shaves off Mark Perlman’s mustache that he’s had for 44 years during the Purim Extravaganza on Wednesday night at Temple El Emeth in Liberty. The “Slash the Stache” event was a fundraiser for the temple. Also on the stage are Elyse Silverman, program and education director at the temple, and Steve Stoyak, master of ceremonies.
‘Slash the Stache’ highlights event at Temple El Emeth
By LINDA M. LINONIS
LIBERTY
For Mark Perlman, the Purim Extravaganza at Temple El Emeth proved to be a hair-raising event.
That’s because the synagogue member, who has had a mustache for 44 years, agreed to be the center of attention in the “Slash the Stache” fundraiser Wednesday.
Tickets of $50 each were sold, and the winner, in an ironic twist, was his wife, Irina. She had marked the ticket “slash,” so that’s what happened.
Professional barber Tom Borocz of Girard did the honors and shaved off Perlman’s long-lived mustache.
The Purim party at Temple El Emeth, 3970 Logan Way, was a joint event with Congregation Ohev Tzedek-Shaarei Torah in Boardman. About 125 people attended.
Perlman said he grew the mustache as a teenager because it “seemed manly,” and he still maintains that thought. He and others wore “Slash the Stache” T-shirts. “When I was growing up, in the Aquarius days, there was a lot of hair,” said Perlman, who is a dentist in Brookfield. A poster board chronicling his mustache also was displayed.
Perlman said his wife has wanted him to shave the mustache. But his daughter, who is getting married in September, wanted him to have it for the wedding. (He has time to grow it back.) Irina Perlman said of the shaving of her husband’s mustache, “It’s time for it to go. It was for a good cause.”
Steve Stoyak, a temple member, conducted the drawing. He wore a “charcoal” mustache in support of Perlman. He noted Perl-man’s mustache dates to 1971 when cigarettes were banned from TV, the first toilet flushed on “All in the Family” TV show, and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” were released.
Though the mustache drama provided suspense and good-natured teasing, fun, food, costumes and the reading of Megillah were other diversions of the evening.
The Megillah recounts the story of Esther, who had been made queen by Ahasuerus, king of ancient Persia, and her cousin, Mordecai. The villain is Haman, an adviser to the king who hated Mordecai.
Haman wanted to exterminate the Jews, and the king left their fate to Haman. Mordecai asked Esther to reveal to the king she was Jewish, which was risky. But the king loved Esther, and when she told him of Haman’s plot, the king put Haman to death. Rabbi Joseph Schonberger of Temple El Emeth read the story.
The word Purim means lots and refers to the lottery that Haman used to pick the date of execution.
Rabbi Schonberger said Megillah is a Jewish word for scroll, and it’s evolved into Jewish slang for story.
The story is one of celebration because the Jews escaped death. That’s why it is festive with costumes and food, including the temple Sisterhood’s “world famous hamantaschen,” a pastry with fruit and chocolate fillings. The triangular shape recall’s Haman’s three-cornered hat.
Balloon artist Joe Sullivan enthralled children with his creations. Music was by Randall Goldberg and the TEE/OT Band.