Purim: Yesterday and Today

As a child, I loved Purim, which we routinely celebrated during Hebrew school. Children would dress up in their favorite Haman, Esther, or Mordechai costumes, descend upon the shul, and wait for Rabbi Katz to read the Megillah. Whenever he mentioned the despicable name of Haman, everyone twirled noise makers that turned the synagogue into a cacophonous disaster area. Rabbi would wait for the noise to subside, and continue reading. When the clamorous service concluded, we headed out the side doors to form a parade and marched in costume around the neighborhood laughing, and singing. 

Jews have lived in Persia (Iran) since 727 BCE when they arrived as slaves for the Assyrian King Shalmaneser V. Four centuries later, King Ahasuerus executed Queen Vashti for not following his orders. Now the wifeless king needed a new queen, so he held a beauty contest to find his new consort. As we all know, Esther, a Jewish girl, won, but she kept her faith secret.

During the centuries before anti-Semite Haman was appointed prime minister over all of Persia, Jews had assimilated to their new surroundings. However, their leader, Mordechai, Esther’s cousin, refused to bow to the prime minister when he passed in the street. Incensed, Haman convinced the king to exterminate the Jewish people on Adar 13^th. 

When Esther got wind of Haman’s plot, she fasted for a day in prayer, prepared an elaborate meal for Ahasuerus and his PM. During that meal the queen revealed her Jewish identity and Haman’s plot against her people. Since the king was in no mood to search for another queen, he rescinded Haman’s order and had Haman executed instead, and Mordechai was appointed the new prime minister.

Even though they had lived in Persia for centuries, many locals thought of Jews as foreigners. Those prejudices continued into the 20^th Century when the Islamic Republic of Iran unfolded in the late 1970s. Jews were again persecuted and called foreigners. But there was no Esther in Ayatollah Khomeini’s inner circle, so Jews fled Iran in mass to the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel. 

The celebration of Purim reminds us of Esther’s courage, but also forces us to recall the many times in history when the Jewish people were threatened—the Crusades, blamed for the Bubonic Plague, European pogroms, the Holocaust, and the anti-Semitism we face today.  Think excessive criticism of Israel, Holocaust Denial, Colleyville, and the numerous assaults on Jews in New York City and around the world. 

My children celebrated Purim at Temple Judea with similar experiences to my own. However, TJ had a yearly Purim carnival which was always a fun event. Today, my grandchildren have a similar experience at Valley Beth Shalom. The common thread for three generations of Jews was learning about Purim and the threat of anti-Semitism. On Purim we learn of a huge success story against Jew hating and we celebrate our victory, but we are also taught vigilance. 

Since the Pandemic started, Purim hasn’t been as much fun. Carnivals have been cancelled and people are discouraged from meeting in enclosed spaces. This too, will pass, but the lessons of Purim will always be remembered. Stand-up to the bully, like Esther. Practice acts of kindness and good will so Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists recognize us as their friends and will scoff at the racists. Yes, it’s still an uphill climb, but the Jewish people have made it to the 21^st century with many of our detractors are a part of history’s dust.