In Romania's small Jewish community, large helpings of Purim cheer

Children don costumes to join aging congregation in celebrating the averted genocide of the Jewish people in ancient Persia

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romanian children put on costumes to join aging members of the country’s small Jewish community for a Purim holiday service to celebrate the biblical account of the Jews’ salvation from genocide in ancient Persia.

Some girls dressed up as princesses, fitting for an annual holiday in which one of the heroes is a clever and beautiful queen. One boy came as Spiderman. Other youngsters wore bright hats and vivid ties to mark the occasion.

While the mood was joyful at the synagogue, some elder men read from old scrolls, giving a solemn note to the Saturday celebration.

The children rehearsed songs for a performance that night at Bucharest’s recently refurbished 19th century Coral Temple.

In this March 11, 2017, picture, members of Romania's Jewish community attend Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) — In this March 11, 2017, picture, members of Romania’s Jewish community attend Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Purim commemorates the story of the Jewish people being saved from a 4th century B.C. Persian prime minister who planned to kill all the Jews but was thwarted by Mordecai and his adopted daughter Esther, who had become queen of Persia.

In this March 11, 2017 picture, children sing during Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. Children put on fancy costume dress joining dozens of believers from Romania's Jewish community who attended a Purim service to celebrate the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) — In this March 11, 2017 picture, children sing during Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Romania had a thriving community of 800,000 Jews before World War II. The country deported 150,000 Jews to concentration camps from 1942 to 1944, when the country was run by pro-Nazi dictator Ion Antonescu. Many Jews emigrated after the war.

In this March 11, 2017 picture, a man puts a mask on a boy before Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. Children put on fancy costume dress joining dozens of believers from Romania's Jewish community who attended a Purim service to celebrate the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) — In this March 11, 2017 picture, a man puts a mask on a boy before Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

There are an estimated 6,000 Jews living in Romania today, many of them elderly.

In this March 11, 2017 picture, children, one wearing a Spiderman costume sit before Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. Children put on fancy costume dress joining dozens of believers from Romania's Jewish community who attended a Purim service to celebrate the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) — In this March 11, 2017 picture, children, one wearing a Spiderman costume sit before Purim celebrations at the Coral Temple synagogue in Bucharest, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

During the Purim celebration, people listened to a rabbi read from the Old Testament’s Book of Esther, banging benches and whirring wooden rattles every time the name of the scheming prime minister Haman was uttered.