Naima Hirsch Gelman
In the Purim story, and in American society after Dobbs.
In the Purim story, and in American society after Dobbs.
For Jackie Zarine Mostny, the Persian Jewish Queen lineage from the time of Esther continues to live on– and evolve.
The Book of Esther still speaks to us, even in the “safe” diaspora without ruling monarchs — because governments may shift, policies change and antisemitism reasserts itself.
As part of his only recorded direct speech in the book of Esther, Mordechai exhorts his orphaned cousin Esther to appeal to King Ahaseurus, suggesting that Queen Esther’s raison d’etre was to rise to the occasion and deliver the Jewish people from danger. And yet, as a new anthology of essays suggests, Queen Esther has… Read more »
I never wanted to be a queen. I only wanted to be Vashti.
What if wee find we are more resilient than we knew?
Commentators say that mishloah manot is an exchange of gifts between equals. Needless to say that it didn’t work out that way in our school.
In a small Jewish community, there’s a unifying force that brings Jews from all walks of life together.
Out of all the Jewish holidays, I’ve always felt the most ambivalent about Purim.