36th Annual Purim Ball Raises $2.7 Million for the Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum's 36th Annual Purim Ball

Credit: Photo by Madison Voelkel / BFA.com

Release Date: April 8, 2022

36th Annual Purim Ball Raises $2.7 Million for the Jewish Museum

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Event Honored Edmund de Waal and Axel Schupf

New York, NY, April 8, 2022— The Jewish Museum held its 36th Annual Purim Ball at the Park Avenue Armory on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Over 1,000 distinguished guests were in attendance for the festive dinner and the After Party that was hosted by the Jewish Museum’s Young Patrons group. This year’s Purim Ball raised $2.7 million in support of the Museum.

Robert Pruzan, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, and Claudia Gould, the Museum’s Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director, welcomed guests. The event honored writer and artist Edmund de Waal, whose bestselling book The Hare with Amber Eyes is the subject of a major exhibition currently on view at the Museum, and Axel Schupf, a Museum Life Trustee. Joan Rosenbaum, former director of the Jewish Museum, introduced Axel Schupf. The event also featured a virtual performance by Penn & Teller.

The Park Avenue Armory was transformed by David Stark Design and Production into a fantastical world of larger-than-life board games. Purim characters encouraged guests to join a living game of Snakes and Ladders. Music was provided by DJ Timo.  Many attendees wore masks and draped colorful stuffed snakes around their necks. The signature cocktail for the evening was “The Whole Megillah,” featuring Tito’s Handmade Vodka, pomegranate juice, fresh lime juice, and a splash of soda.

Notable guests in attendance included artists Rachel Feinstein, John Currin, Kiki Smith, Maira Kalman, Nir Hod, and Barbara Bloom; Gabi Asfour, Ange Donhauser, and Adi Gil, members of threeASFOUR; and Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, partners, Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Purim Ball 2022 Co-Chairs are Betty and John Levin; Malcolm Levine and Melissa Frey Levine; Felicia and Sander Levy; Beth and Joshua Nash; Nancy and Morris W. Offit; Tracey and Robert Pruzan; Susan and Stephen Scherr; Harriet and Leonard Schleifer; David Shapiro and Liz Lange; John Shapiro and Shonni Silverberg; Jane and James Stern; and Susan and Benjamin Winter. Gala Vice-Chairs are Shari and Jeff Aronson; Jonathan and Darcie Crystal; Nomi Ghez and Michael Siegal; Catherine Klema and David Resnick; Gina and Jonathan Krane; Dayna and Steve Novenstein; Audrey and Zygi Wilf; and Jane and Mark Wilf.

Masked Purim balls have been given for charitable purposes since the end of the fifteenth century. The holiday commemorates events that occurred during a period of Jewish history known as “the Babylonian exile,” in the 6th century BCE. Aided by her uncle Mordecai, the Persian king’s beautiful Jewish queen, Esther, thwarted a plot against the Jews devised by Haman, her husband’s chief minister. The Jews of Persia rejoiced at their deliverance and sent gifts to one another. Centuries later, these events are celebrated every year with jubilant parties, feasting, and the wearing of costumes and masks.

About the Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum, located on New York City’s famed Museum Mile, is a distinctive hub for art and Jewish culture for people of all backgrounds. Founded in 1904, the Museum was the first institution of its kind in the United States and is one of the oldest Jewish museums in the world. Devoted to exploring art and Jewish culture from ancient to contemporary, the Museum offers diverse exhibitions and programs, and maintains a unique collection of nearly 30,000 works of art, ceremonial objects, and media reflecting the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years.

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