Purim is just around the corner! Though marked by masquerading and merriment, there are some very serious themes that lie behind the ribaldry that marks our joyous holiday.
There are Esthers in Every generation.
Nearly 90 years ago, my grandmother Regina, who lived in Essen, Germany, was warned by a local constable that trouble was brewing throughout the country. As a Jew, he recommended that she and my grandfather leave their neighborhood and go somewhere that they wouldn’t be recognized. Leaving my infant father in the care of a non-Jewish babysitter for his safety, they walked the streets anonymously, witnessing Nazi Brown Shirts painting graffiti on Jewish shops, breaking windows, and burning books.
Soon after, my grandfather was arrested and put in a concentration camp. Ena, as everyone called my grandmother, got an appointment with the US Consul General’s office to apply for a visa to immigrate. Securing one would facilitate my grandfather’s release and enable them to board a ship for American shores. When the US official noticed that her family name was Teller, he pointed to his own name plaque and said: “I’m not Jewish, but because we have the same last name, I’m going to give you the visa.” For reasons which remain obscure to us—whether German or US regulations—she had to terminate her second pregnancy before leaving. She did what had to be done, sold their possessions, purchased the steamship tickets, secured my grandfather’s release, and led her family to freedom in the United States.
Ena was my family’s “Esther”. She took risks, even with her own life, to gain freedom for her family. Tragically, my great-grandparents were not able to leave and were murdered in the Shoah. Ena’s selfless, brave actions secured my existence and that of my siblings, my children and grandchildren, my niece and nephews, and ultimately, the countless generations that will derive from them.
There are Esthers in every generation, does your family have an Esther? I’d love to hear about it!
—Rabbi Ron Stern