If I Forget Thee…
While we celebrated Purim yesterday, Jerusalem celebrates Purim today. Shushan Purim needs to be a global Jewish celebration, since Jerusalem, the eternal capital city of the Jewish…
The Purim Commitment
What does the holiday of Purim have to do with Jews reconnecting to their Jewish heritage? Purim is more than a celebration of the victory of the Jews over an enemy who wished to…
The Purim Story in Under 300 Words
At the end of a 180-day feast, the King of Persia-Medea, Achashverosh, banished (some say executed) his wife, Vashti, for refusing to appear at his banquet. He then staged an elaborate…
The Four Mitzvot of Purim
This year, Purim will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 10th (beginning Monday evening, March 9th, after sunset). Four mitzvot are associated with the holiday: Megillah Reading - Book of…
The Sabbath of Remembering
This Shabbat is Shabbat Parashat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembering. The Torah portion that is read as the Maftir (additional) portion, after the conclusion of the regular…
Remember
Whether stated in English, “Remember,” in Hebrew, “Zachor” or in Yiddish, “G’denk,” it is a sacred obligation of all Jews to remember our past in order to move forward meaningfully into…
The Demise of Villains
Purim is a day on the Jewish calendar throughout Jewish history that has brought much joy to the Jewish people. A few years ago, a Jewish Soviet immigrant to the United States shared that…
Who Was Mordechai?
There are some people in this world who always seem to be right in the thick of the action. As described in the Book of Esther, this was Mordechai. It is Mordechai’s cousin who is chosen…
The History Around Purim
The story of Purim takes place at the very end of the era known in Jewish history as the Babylonian Exile.Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and…
Study the History of Persian/Iranian Jews
Jews have had a strong and enduring relationship with the Persian Empire, a good part of which is found in modern day Iran. Make the effort to study the history of the Jewish presence in…