As a parent, educator, and responsible community member in Johannesburg, I find it highly concerning that Ohrsom students has decided to conduct their Purim party event in the heart of the Jewish community of Glenhazel. 

For the past two years Ohrsom Students has conducted their party outside of the confines of the  Jewish residential area and Ohrsom students are to be commended for taking the initiative and being sensitive to the concerns of the Jewish community. 

The concerns are as follows :

1. The advert mentions that there will be a whisky bar, a gin bar, and a cocktail bar.

2. The advert mentions "Free" admission. This will undoubtedly attract many people who are already struggling with alcohol addiction and will certainly feed into those who will struggle with alcohol addiction in the future. 

3. What preventative measures are being taken to ensure no minors will be in attendance? Is there a pre-approved guest list? Will anyone not on the pre-approved guest list be denied access?

4. What consequences will take place for the event management team and for Ohrsom Students In the event that minors are found to be in attendance? 

5. Does Ohrsom students take responsibility for the breach of religious standards when people come dressed up in costumes that clearly violate the standards of Jewish dress code? Will the Rabbis Bloch, Sosnovik, Alter Hurwitz and team take responsibility for the stumbling block that their organization is presenting to the helpless observers of coarse conduct that is inevitable to occur as has been seen in previous years? 

6. The disturbance of the peace of a residential area is concerning as history has shown that the nature of such an event has caused noise pollution in a residential area and that the event has caused loss of sleep for residents who live in the immediate surroundings. 

While Alcohol addiction is a scourge and a disease that is running rampant within the Jewish community worldwide - and Johannesburg is not exempt - we cannot demand that the party be cancelled entirely, but we can demand that greater measures of prevention and control be implemented and that the location be changed to accommodate the vast majority of the community who do not want this within our area! 

We the  undersigned appeal to the organizers of the Ohrsom Students purim party to change their venue as they've done over the past two years to a more neutral less sensitive location. 

We further appeal that only a pre-approved guest list be utilized and that the concerns of the community members be taken into consideration.

Sincerely