Wednesday, February 24th, 2021

The boss is wearing a fake nose and mustache and a floppy hat. “I cannot live like this!” he bellows in English. “We have no mirrors!” I’m about to suggest that he use his phone, but he has zoomed away from my cube. We’re celebrating Purim today. It’s actually on Friday, but we don’t work that day, and much of the staff will be fasting tomorrow. Someone asks who my costume is. I don’t have one. I improvise. I put on my sweatshirt and flip the hood up. I’m now Elliot from Mr. Robot. The boss hands me a fake nose, mustache, and eyeglasses. “No one may attend the afternoon prayers without these.” OK. The temples on the eyeglasses barely fit on my big head. With my mask and real glasses, the space around my ears is crowded. Several people take pictures before the prayers. During the service, people coming down the hall do a double-take, seeing us worshiping in goofy costumes. Afterward, the bosses hand out the traditional gift bags of goodies: I get a small bottle of berry liqueur, a couple of hamantaschen, candy bars, cookies, Bamba, and one of those noisemakers that rolls out like Pinocchio’s nose when you blow into it. I hope to attend the online Purim service from my mother’s synagogue on Friday. It will come in handy then.