Image by dnaveh/istockphoto

By Irene Katz Connelly March 10, 2020

For centuries, Purim has been a time of Jewish togetherness. Hand-shaking, hamentaschen-sharing, dance-floor-germ-exchanging togetherness.

But with new cases of coronavirus cropping up every day, Purim parades are a risky endeavor. Costume parties have given way to self-quarantine, and communities are conducting Megillah readings via Zoom.

With fear and uncertainty (and viral particles) in the air, we didn’t expect the usual profusion of Purim costumes on social media. But this morning, our feeds were brimming with sly, inventive, silly costumes — even if the wearers could only strut their stuff virtually.

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From baby Yoda to presidential candidates, here are the best costumes of this very unusual Purim.

We’ll start off with an excellent graphic representation of The Daily host Michael Barbarro’s speech patterns.

we dressed as #TheDaily for purim@mikiebarb @nytimes pic.twitter.com/9O7d1R25Yk

— Caleb Weinreb (@caleb_weinreb) March 9, 2020

Followed by a self-quarantine costume party shows you can stay festive and stay responsible.

I literally put my Purim costume on for social media, since I’m not supposed to leave the house, so here we are. Happy Purim from Sulley and Boo! pic.twitter.com/XfbEmB2Fai

— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) March 9, 2020

One family had a modern take on the ancient idea of Purim as a holiday of reversals.

View this post on Instagram

Dog as human. Humans as dogs. Doggie bowl containing dog related items and a note with a dog schedule. I wanted to include fudge, but my husband said “no!” ?‍♀️ #happypurim #purim #purimcostumes #freilichenpurim #shalachmanos #mishloachmanot

A post shared by Allison Josephs (@jewinthecity) on Mar 10, 2020 at 5:20am PDT

Purim: it’s a good time for wishful thinking.

And on Purim, thou shalt dress as the most competent and underrated candidate who should have been our nominee, but oh well.@ewarren pic.twitter.com/NXB42w9w09

— Frimet Goldberger (@FrimetG) March 9, 2020

One day, this baby will realize that he will never again be able to top this costume.

Chag Purim Sameach from me and the babiest baby Yoda! pic.twitter.com/x69Buxi1wr

— Kate Havard Rozansky (@KateHavard) March 9, 2020

Meanwhile, these babies are already looking far ahead.

The cutest #Purim costume ? pic.twitter.com/uoYLOLlXcD

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) March 10, 2020

This Purim, you may not be able to drink Manischewitz in the streets, but you can embody it at home.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Purim, Jewnicorns! ? If you’re dressing up or making my hamantaschen, make sure to tag me as I love to see it! A lot of you have been loving my dough and getting crafty with the fillings, which I love! The hamantaschen is your (kosher) oyster. Or something like that. ??‍♀️

A post shared by Amy Kritzer ? Jewish Food (@whatjewwannaeat) on Mar 9, 2020 at 5:54am PDT

In a time of uncertainty for the elderly, especially those who live in retirement homes, it’s good to see seniors participating in celebrations.

Chag #Purim Sameach! To celebrate, our Eisenberg Village Residents created masks guided by Paul Rovin, a Judaic arts and crafts expert. They are currently wearing them throughout our campus to celebrate the joyous holiday. pic.twitter.com/c8jtU5NXUc

— LA Jewish Home (@LAJewishHome) March 10, 2020

What costume party would be complete without a nod to “Mean Girls?”

“Purim’s the one night a year Jews can dress like total sluts and no other Jews can say anything about it.”

-Maimonides, probably pic.twitter.com/N6QTsuOQoY

— האָמאָ-טאַש (@frumslut) March 8, 2020

Irene Katz Connelly writes about culture and entertainment. You can contact her at [email protected].

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