Hakotel BBG #826 of Nassau Suffolk Region is my heart and home.  Though “we might be small we’re still mighty,” is usually the phrase said about my chapter, this weekend at our event we had 13 members! This might not seem like a lot, but for us this was huge. In NSR, chapters are decided by geographical location, and in Rockville Centre, New York there is not a large Jewish population. In the past couple of years especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, our chapter has had a drop in membership, but we are back and better than ever! At our event members arrived in their best Halloween costumes. My personal favorites were the Hebrew National Hot Dog and the Heinz Ketchup. Our board dressed as Dwayne “the rock” Johnson which none of our members thought we looked like, so there’s always next year!

For the first ten minutes, members arrived and mingled with one another. Then the fun began! Members were given 5 minutes to wrap their partner with toilet paper to “mummify” them while asking rapid-fire questions to get to know one another. My partner mummified me into a stunning one-shoulder dress, and our wonderful Hebrew National Hot Dog was mummified so well that she didn’t have a face hole. Our next activity was Murder Mystery, as S’ganit of my chapter this was the part I was most excited for. Each member was given a card of character role to play and convince the other players that they weren’t the murderer. At each round two minutes were given for members to interview one another. After the two minutes were up, the group had to decide who they thought the murderer was and vote them out. Everyone took their roles with great enthusiasm and passion. The storylines became quite intricate. Many members took creative liberties  with their characters by adding parts of their personality into the character. 

The last part of our event was pumpkin painting. Though most would think the best part of this event would be painting and creativity, I found that talking and bonding with my fellow BBGs made this activity most memorable. From gossiping about school to talking about our Halloween plans, it allowed each BBG to grow closer to their new heart and home; Hakotel. As each member walked into their cars with smiles wider than the horizon, asking when the next event was, I knew this event had been a success.