(Courtesy of OE) Highland Park’s Congregation Ohav Emeth’s 17th Purim costume gemach had another very successful year, helping many families find great costumes for only a $5 donation per costume. Family-themed costumes are a favorite challenge for Malka Ben Haim, co-chair of the costume gemach. “A family arrives looking for costumes for a safari theme and I ran over to the ‘animal’ table and found the perfect lion and tiger costumes,” she said. The gemach has over 1,000 costumes from infants to adults. Shari Gordon, co-chair and founder of the gemach, loves finding “just the right” costume or accessories to bring a costume together. Gordon remembers a little girl requesting a pink dinosaur costume with a pink tutu. Gordon was able to come up with the complete costume.

This year’s Purim costume gemach not only raised money for Congregation Ohav Emeth’s youth department, but part of the proceeds will be donated to the Michael Levin Lone Soldier Foundation. Esther Greene, OE’s youth director, said “It is very important to support the Michael Levin Lone Soldier Foundation since they help many of our community’s children who are currently defending Israel.”