Dena Fox, 10, loves Purim. “On Purim, I love that happiness is everywhere,” she told J. “I love seeing people smile!”
So when J. gave Dena a camera to document the holiday, she was excited. “Life can be so serious, but on a day like Purim, happiness comes out,” she said, adding, “You should celebrate Purim, even if you’re not Jewish!”
Dena, who is in fourth grade at the Brandeis School of San Francisco, was one of 20 “kid reporters” across the Jewish Bay Area given the same assignment: to capture Jewish joy through a camera lens.
Dressed up as fairies, ’80s aerobics instructors, KPop Demon Hunters and the like, the kid reporters also wore press badges and carried disposable cameras. Ranging in age from 7 to 10, they represented three JCCs, three Jewish day schools and one Chabad.
Dena, who dressed up as Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” told J. she felt “just like Esther — strong, Jewish and fierce!”
We didn’t give much direction. We simply encouraged our reporters to take pictures of whatever excited them — be it a cool costume, a baby watching bubbles or a grown-up acting goofy.
The results, as we had hoped, were delightfully varied in focus.
Though disposable cameras were foreign to most of our young reporters, at least two happened to have the same experience using them. Dena and Gabby Turetsky, 9, from Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City, both have used disposable cameras to take pictures of their summers at URJ Camp Newman.
When taking photos at her school’s Purim celebration, Gabby noticed details about the costumes. “Their costumes kind of tell me things that they like and stuff,” she told J.
“Before I went to JCCSF for Purim, I thought it was just a cool thing that my school did,” Dena said. “But this year, I realized that there’s a big community celebrating this holiday.”
If you’re ever in need of a boost of Jewish joy, just peruse these photo galleries below, organized by location.
Brandeis School of S.F.
Taken by Brandeis student Dena Fox. 
Taken by Brandeis student Rena Loeb. 
Taken by Brandeis student Dena Fox. 
Taken by Brandeis student Abigail Frankenstein. 
Taken by Brandeis student Abigail Frankenstein.
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School
Taken by Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School student Gabby Turetsky. 
Taken by Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School student Ayla Deljo. 
Taken by Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School student Gabby Turetsky. 
Taken by Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School student Adam Hamer. 
Taken by Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School student Adam Hamer. 
Taken by Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School student Ayla Deljo.
Chabad of Contra Costa
Taken at Chabad of Contra Costa by Skyler Cohen. 
Taken at Chabad of Contra Costa by Amiee Nevelev. 
Taken at Chabad of Contra Costa by Skyler Cohen. 
Taken at Chabad of Contra Costa by Aleeza Kinder.
JCCSF
Rabbi Ryan Bauer of Congregation Emanu-El, taken at JCCSF by Ari Peak. 
Taken at JCCSF by Dena Fox. 
Taken at JCCSF by Dena Fox. 
Taken at JCCSF by Dena Fox.
Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School
Taken by Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School student Daniel Rimon. 
Photo of kid reporter Gil Israeli at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School. 
Taken by Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School student Miri Farber-Drabkin. 
Taken by Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School student Lily Bercovici.
Contra Costa JCC
Taken at Contra Costa JCC by Liv Levin. 
Taken at Contra Costa JCC by Ron Levin and Tom Levin.
JCC East Bay
Taken at JCC East Bay by Raina Pilania. 
Taken at JCC East Bay by Alianna Snell-Rood and Miriam Esterson. 
Taken at JCC East Bay by Raina Pilania. 
Taken at JCC East Bay by Alianna Snell-Rood and Miriam Esterson. 
Taken at JCC East Bay by Ari Goodman and Juniper Sepke. 
Taken at JCC East Bay by Raina Pilania. 
Taken at JCC East Bay by Ari Goodman and Juniper Sepke. 
Taken at JCC East Bay by Alianna Snell-Rood and Miriam Esterson.
Thanks to all of our wonderful kid reporters — Abigail Frankenstein, Adam Hamer, Aleeza Kinder, Alianna Snell-Rood, Aimee Nevelev, Ari Goodman, Ari Peak, Aviva Bridgland, Ayla Deljo, Daniel Rimon, Dena Fox, Gabby Turetsky, Gil Israeli, Juniper Sepke, Lily Bercovici, Liv Levin, Miri Farber-Drabkin, Miriam Esterson, Raina Pilania, Rena Loeb, Ron Levin, Skyler Cohen; and Tom Levin.
And special thanks to our community partners who helped with the project — Sarina Fierro at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School; Annie O’Donnell at Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School; Rabbi Genevieve Greinetz at Brandeis School of San Francisco; Gayle Lidman and Lorenn Kassel at JCCSF; Sarah Balagey at Congregation Emanu-El; Gravity Goldberg at JCC East Bay; Olga Zak and Ella Levin at CCJCC; and Rabbi Boruch Hecht at Chabad of Contra Costa. And a shoutout to Photoworks, the San Francisco business that developed the photos and taught us a thing or two about organizing 500 images.