We decided to go all out for the Jewish month of Adar this year. Adar is most famous for hosting the festival of Purim – officially the most joyful holiday on the Jewish calendar. The Talmud tells us that when Adar comes ’round, we’re commanded to ‘increase in joy’. How strange – being commanded to feel something. But sometimes, putting yourself in joyful situations actually creates real happiness. We become aware of the importance of being positive and openhearted, our perspective changes, and as a result, outcomes are affected. And that stuff is contagious – a smile, laugh, positive comment or good deed has such a ripple effect. Adar is a great time to focus on how important happiness is. We decided to name Adar 2013 the Jewish Month of Joy!

We kicked off the month with a fun little project – we set up a booth outside the famous Zabar’s on the Upper West Side, brought along a few cartons of delicious hamentaschen and set up a banner reading “Tell a joke, get a cookie!” We had New Yorkers of all kinds approach us with their favorite jokes. And then we turned the whole thing into a sweet movie, which was later featured in Jewcy’s Top 5 Purim videos! Thanks Jewcy. Here’s the video – we’re so proud of it!

Next up was Shabbat ShaLOL! – a comedy-themed Friday night dinner at Aish Downtown in the East Village. We featured UCB comic Aaron Glaser, who performed a great stand-up set during dinner. The next night was our big Purim party, which was preceded by a reading of Megilat Esther. Thanks to everyone who showed up in wonderful costumes, ready to party with us! My personal favorite? An impressive hot air balloon costume! Here’s a photo. And then last night hosted a Laughter Therapy Workshop with the wonderful Saranne Rothberg, founder of Comedy Cures. Saranne’s organization aims to bring laughter to those struggling with illness and depression. Saranne is a vibrant and charismatic woman who truly lives her mission – making those around her happy. Her workshop drew a huge crowd – the Aish Center was full of smiling people!

We’ve got one more event on our Jewish Month of Joy roster. This Saturday night, we’re hosting an awesome night of cocktails and comedy with one of our favorite comedians. Modi entertained us at our Gala last year, and he was such a hit that we’ve decided to have him back, to end our Month of Joy with a bang, and lots of laughs. Join us this Saturday night for this wonderful event – fill your joy quota, and let’s keep the smiles and laughs coming for as long as we can :-)

Details of Saturday night’s event with Modi can be found here. See you there!