Shul House Students Construct Persian City out of 100,000 Legos

In anticipation of Purim last week, students at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons reconstructed Shushan, an ancient Persian city that served as the setting for the Book of Esther — using 100,000 Legos.

The book tells the story of a Jewish woman in Persia, known as Esther, who ascends to queen and stops a genocide against the Jewish people in the realm. Purim then commemorates the saving of the Jewish people chronicled in the Book of Esther.

“Purim is, in some ways, like a Jewish Halloween, but not really,” said Rabbi Josh Franklin. “It is one of those stories that fits the paradigm: They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.

“It tracks the Book of Esther in the Bible and is a holiday that is celebrated in commemoration of the Jewish victory over the plot to kill the Jewish people in the kingdom of Persia.”

The holiday is one “of costumes and celebration and comedy and laughing and being silly,” he added, noting that the center continued its celebration on Thursday, March 13, with a comedy show by Pam Schuller.

Prior to the holiday, at the Shul House, the center’s Sunday morning learning program, kindergarten through seventh-graders worked with “Lego master” Steve Cohen to build the city.

In total, around 50 to 60 students assisted, and “we did a pretty good job constructing a good amount of the city, the palace, and then really learning about the way that the story of Esther fits into the giant Lego construction of the city.”

The students built the city on a 20-foot-by-20-foot mat — “it’s a giant city” — and “it was a great experiential way to teach the kids about a Jewish holiday, a biblical book, and really just create a meaningful Jewish experience for our kids,” Franklin said.

The construction took about two hours in the end. Franklin said he spent around a half hour “just sorting red Legos,” so that the students could build the palace solely out of them.

Franklin said that the idea came from the center’s education director, Margaret Barcohana, who “plans amazing programs throughout the year.”

“One of the things that we really pride ourselves on is creating joyful Jewish living and positive Jewish identity for our kids,” Franklin said. “And I think this program demonstrates how we do that. Imagine yourself as a kid, an 8-year-old, 10-year-old kid, building this giant Lego city. It’s something that you’re never going to forget.

“And I promise you that the kids will remember Shushan and remember the Book of Esther, at the very least.”