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Jews around the world gather to celebrate Purim on14 Adar on the Hebrew lunar calendar, which this year will be on March 14th.
Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the bravery of Queen Esther, the secretly Jewish wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia. The story is recounted in the Book of Esther and read in a special scroll called the Megillah.
Esther's uncle, Mordechai, uncovers a plot being hatched by the King's advisor, Haman. Haman was annoyed that Mordechai would not bow down to him, so Haman planned to kill Mordechai and all the Jews in the land. To stop Haman's evil plot, Mordechai urges Esther to tell the King that she is Jewish and to reveal what Haman has been up to behind the King's back.
Queen Esther puts herself at great risk by telling the King that she is Jewish and had kept that a secret from him. She also told the King what Haman planned to do to the Jews. The King had Haman killed instead, and all the Jewish people in Shushan were saved.
During the reading of the story, every time the name Haman is said, the room of listeners explodes with loud booing and the sound of special noisemakers called groggers which kids particularly enjoy.
Some synagogues will read the entire story in Hebrew, some in English, and some will perform a play based on the Purim story, called a schpiel. These are often written by congregants and acted out with costumes, and they are kitschy and over-the-top exaggerated.
Some Jewish families wear costumes on Purim to symbolize how Esther had to mask herself from the King and also to celebrate the holiday in a fun and joyous way. We eat cookies called Hamentashen which is the Yiddish word for Haman’s pockets. Interestingly, in Hebrew we say Ozne Haman which translates to Haman’s ears. Either way, the cookies are triangle shaped with a chocolate or fruit filling and absolutely delicious!
Shalom 7Oaks 2024-25
Cari Satran
Tannis Silver
Lainie Rosner
Jannah Rittberg
Sheryl Peltz
Melissa Diamond
Annette Greene
Rachel Cooper
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