“The Mahamad from time to time realized this and made attempts by legislation to keep the conduct of the services within more orderly bounds… One of these was the celebration of the Feast of Purim.. The new Ascama on the subject ran in part as follows:‘1. In future no person of our nation of either sex or of any age, shall on Purim or at any other time of the year, appear in the streets in masquerade, or disguised in the dress of the other sex, though only to pass from one house to another, this being as well a violation of decency, as of the laws of God and of his kingdom: and whoever shall do so in defiance of this prohibition shall be fined by the Mahamad a sum no exceeding five pounds for Sedaca. 2. Also in future, on the evening and the morning of Purim while the Megillah is read, or at any other time, no person of whatever condition, age or sex, shall beat, or make noise in Synagogue with hammer, or any other instrument, since apart from the scandal to which such a bad custom would give rise, it may prevent many devout persons of our congregation from going to Synagogue on these occasions.’”-- The Sephardim of England.