Partnerhood Spotlight: Chani Getter Talks Purim // Connect. Celebrate. Show Up. Purim Awaits.

Dear Lab/Shul,

Each month, our Lab/Letter will include a Partnerhood Spotlight: a space dedicated to shining a light on the people, projects, and stories growing from within our community. These reflections are intended to share the creativity, care, and values we hold, and the many ways our community shows up in the world.

We’re honored to lift up Chani Getter’s story this month, as they share their perspective on the upcoming Purim holiday. We invite you to join us this Purim to celebrate the joy, reflection, and playful twists of the holiday.

Interested in joining Lab/Shul to connect, celebrate Purim, and discover how you can show up in meaningful ways?:

FamilyLab: Make Some Noise – THIS Sunday on the Lower East Sided, March 1 @ 4:00 pm EST – REGISTER
Shushan in Session: The Megillah, Mediated – THIS Monday in Brooklyn, March 2 @ 7:00 pm EST – REGISTER

Enjoy a reflection from Chani about what can emerge when you gather with Lab/Shul:

Purim is here, and as usual, I am not a fan. Yet every year, I reflect on the story and ask, how can I grow from this story? This is something I love about Lab/Shul, it pushes me to look at my Jewish identity and find a way to make it relevant to me at this time.

im l’ayt k’zot higaat la’malchut.

“Perhaps it is because of this time that you have attained the royal position.”

That is what Mordechai tells Esther in Chapter 4 of the Megillagah (the book we read on Purim).

Mordechai tells Esther that her life has led her to this moment and she has a job to do. One that calls on her position in the palace as well as her identity as a Jewish woman. He asks her to reveal herself and to save her people.

Her people the story stresses. It’s time we evolve this part. For if one of us is not free, none of us are free.

Just as Esther did, we all have a role in our story. Let us ask ourselves, what gift can I offer? How can I help heal, protect, and enable humanity to thrive?

We all have things that we are called to do, and in a time like this, it is important to pause and ask ourselves, what is my role? Whom can I help? How can I show up and use my identity as well as my expertise?

With love,
Chani

Chani Getter (they/them) is a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, an LGBTQIA+ educator and the Scholar in Residence at Footsteps. Chani’s debut book Mapito: Embrace Yourself is a collection of stories about overcoming hardships to live true to yourself. Chani and their wife have been partners of Lab/Shul since 2018.