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. The Jews Found Light and Gladness, Happiness, and Honor  לַיְּהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשֹׂן וִיקָר׃ (Esther 8:16) These six beautiful Hebrew words capture the restoration of hope and security to the Jews after Mordechai and Esther succeed in vanquishing the murderous Haman. This tale of near annihilation, of the fortuitous rescue of the Jews through luck and guile, is not a story told just once. It’s a feature of Jewish history. My grandmother’s actions (told here) are not unique. Quite the contrary. Throughout history, the actions of a few enable the redemption of many. And, tragically, far too many slip from the grasp of salvation. In an irony of eponymy, just swap the “n” in Haman for an “s” to reflect our [...]

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.Life in the DiasporaOver the past year I’ve received requests from several individuals to document their Jewishness so that they might gain citizenship in Israel. While I’m happy to encourage aliyah to Israel and remain very proud of our community members who commit themselves to strengthening the Jewish nation, what surprised me this time was that a few of the requests came from people who felt that it was safer for Jews to live in Israel than the United States. This despite the fact that Israel had been actively at war.When I visited my friends in Israel over this past year, each of their homes had a reinforced, munitions-resistant saferoom with a special air filter to block airborne poisons. Now, my home has a gate, [...]

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. The Jewish Future is Always Tenuous At its core, the Purim story is a tale of antisemitism. “There is a certain people….” says Haman, as he spreads calumnies about the Jews. As the classic preamble for any antisemite, those words impugn all Jews with qualities and conduct that undermines the integrity of a nation. More likely it is the antisemite who broadly and falsely ascribes qualities to the Jews that are his or her own. Haman may have been the first, but tragically, he was not the last. I wish that the title of this piece was hyperbole, but sadly, it is a statement of fact. There is not one community where Jews have lived that has given us full stability and [...]

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 [...]