Jewish holidays: Happy Purim Repost for 2026

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Send us Fan Mail What is Purim? When is Purim? Is Purim really "the Jewish Halloween"? In this fun repost, Baby Brother Zev and then-girlfriend, now-wife Osnat set us straight about the super-fun Jewish dress-up party where we celebrate a(nother) narro...

Send us Fan MailWhat is Purim? When is Purim? Is Purim really "the Jewish Halloween"? In this fun repost, Baby Brother Zev and then-girlfriend, now-wife Osnat set us straight about the super-fun Jewish dress-up party where we celebrate a(nother) narrow escape from mass murder, drink wine and eat cookies named after the bad guy. They are now back in Israel, but at the time were on a short stint living here in the U.S. It's the whole Megillah: Get to the bottom of whatever the heck Hamantaschen are supposed to be, the story of Purim, Queen Esther, Purim constumes, how they do it in Israel, and who really said "Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History." (Spoiler: it was Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich) Also featured: the Israeli tradition of Michloach Manot, why Esther is not in the Torah, and whether Esther and Mordecai are really from the Enuma Elish.GLOSSARY:Chag Purim Sameach: Happy Purim! “Chag” means holiday, “sameach” means happy, and Purim is the name of the holidayTanach (also spelled Tanakh): the name of the full Hebrew bible, is an acronym for: Torah (the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (the Prophets) and Ketuvim (the Writings, also known as the Hagiographa)Abba: Hebrew for Dad, it’s what Zeb and I call his dad, my stepdad. Megillah/megillot (plural): meaning scrolls, it refers to the five scrolls included in the Ketuvim, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and EstherAdloyada: to drink until you can’t tell the difference, also the name of the big Carnivalesque parades in Israel.Mitzvah: means “commandment,” but often refers to “good deeds." Basically, a thing you should do. Vashti: The first wife of King Achashverosh (aka Ahasuerus) whose banishment or execution for refusing to dance nude in front of his friends clears the way for Esther to marry the king.  MORE:https://www.exploringjudaism.org/holidays/purim/esther/16-facts-about-purim-and-the-book-of-esther/ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-book-of-esther/Jews not bowing when it constitutes some form of worship: https://torah.org/torah-portion/mikra-5772-purim/ Sushan Purim: https://reformjudaism.org/what-shushan-purim Bonus: Origins of Halloween, from Throughline and Moses, as seen on South ParkSupport the show

Send us Fan MailTwo years ago, Liz Hirsh Naftali was working in real estate, organizing for the Democratic party, and enjoying life as a mom and auntie. Then, she awoke in Tel Aviv one day, and her world had been ripped apart: her family killed, her 3-year-old niece kidnapped in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Abigail was eventually returned, but Liz has kept working to free the others. Now, two years into the conflict, 48 hostages remain, only 20 or so believed to be alive, and Gaza is in full-blown humanitarian crisis. Liz has crossed the aisle and the world telling her family's story to help bring an end to the conflict. Her book, Saving Abigail, and her podcast The Capitol Coffee Connection, are both part of her mission to bring people together.MORESimchat Torah: the yearly celebration of finishing reading the Torah, and starting over again.United Hatzalah is a community-based, volunteer emergency medical service in Israel.Kfar Aza: one of the communities hit hardest in the October 7 attacks, along with Be'eri and Nir Oz. Recently, they've begun rebuilding.The "ceasefire before October 7" claim: while there was some cessation of hostilities between powers at the time, violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in particular, and attacks on Israelis by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and rocket attacks from Gaza had occurred as early as January. What is clear, however, is the October 7 attacks were meticulously planned and aimed at provoking a larger conflict, weakening Israel's diplomatic ties and destabilizing talks with Saudi Arabia. For a deeper understanding, see here, and here, and one of the best sources for background on Hamas, and most things Middle East, in my opinion, the Conflicted podcast. A survey cited in NPR reporting in July said 80% of Israelis support ending the war in Gaza, but a more recent poll cites 66%. Protests against the war in Israel are widespread, and families and friends of hostages were among the earliest.Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Two years ago, Liz Hirsh Naftali was working in real estate, organizing for the Democratic party, and enjoying life as a mom and auntie. Then, she awoke in Tel Aviv one day, and her world had been ripped apart: her family killed, her 3...

Send us Fan Mail This episode was originally published for Rosh Hashanah on October 9, 2024. One of my nearest and dearest non-Jewish friends asked if she could join me for Rosh Hashanah last year, and we thought it would be useful to other Jew-curious...

Send us Fan MailThis episode was originally published for Rosh Hashanah on October 9, 2024.One of my nearest and dearest non-Jewish friends asked if she could join me for Rosh Hashanah last year, and we thought it would be useful to other Jew-curious listeners to share some of her questions and thoughts about that experience. You may know Rosh Hashanah as the Jewish New Year, and you're mostly right (it's technically the anniversary of creation), but there's much more to it than that! Check the original show notes for tons more info, but I've copied some of the highlights below. Also, check out the Happy Jew Year! episode from 2023, with my mother and brother who are both Jewish educators, to learn even more. They teach me something new every time we talk. Thanks to my friend and to all the non-Jewish friends who ask questions rather than make assumptions, and everyone who, regardless of creed, cultural background or affiliation, shows up with curiosity and openness in the world. You are welcome here, and the world needs you. Special thanks to Washington Hebrew Congregation, and may you all be inscribed in the Book of Life!  Quick note: my friend and I have known each other a long time, and I can assure you she is a real, credible person. But, because of the nature of her work, we kept her anonymous so she could speak freely and ask all her questions. Also, neither she nor I represent any organization or individual's perspectives or opinions, and all the errors I may make are based on my own lived experience and are entirely my own.MORERabbi Shankman’s Sermon at Washington HebrewThe Bimah Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2196108/episodes/12958722 Ancient History of Jews in Israel: there is some evidence of up to 5000 years of the people who became Jews in Israel (Mission of Israel to the UN in Geneva, Israel Museum), but 3000 is a more generally accepted number than the one I say in the show. More here, and here.For a deeper understanding, there is no better source than my beloved stepdad, William G. Dever, widely considered the world's foremost Biblical archaeologist (I am biased but this is true). Here is a talk on how archaeology and history shape understanding.From the "Happy Jew Year! What does Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mean" episode (check the link for more):Mitzvot: Often translated as “good deeds,” the word actually means “commandments.” Shofar: The horn of a kosher animal, often a ram, ceremonially blown on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Right after a flurry of activity around Israel and Gaza on the Hill, I connected with Congressman Greg Landsman, one of only 32 Jews in Congress (9 in the Senate, 23 in the House). Landsman has been a voice defending Israel and demandi...

Send us Fan MailRight after a flurry of activity around Israel and Gaza on the Hill, I connected with Congressman Greg Landsman, one of only 32 Jews in Congress (9 in the Senate, 23 in the House). Landsman has been a voice defending Israel and demanding humanitarian aid to Gaza, and like myself, does not believe the two are mutually exclusive. In June, he declined an invitation to his staff from Qatar, saying they could discuss how to end the war in Gaza instead, and since recording, he joined a bipartisan Congressional delegation visit to Israel. We talked on August 1, as Congress went on recess, and much has happened since then that won't be covered in the episode, obviously. But we did cover a lot, including growing up as a Nice Jewish Boy (he has sisters) in Ohio, raising cool kids, and some of the work he is most proud of. More about Greg, his beloved Ohio, and other stuff:Hebrew Union College was established in 1875 to train rabbis, and is generally considered the birthplace of American Reform Judaism. Sally Priesand was the first Reform woman rabbi, ordained at HUC in 1972, but the first woman rabbi is Regina Jonas, ordained in Berlin in 1935, and murdered at Auschwitz with more than a million others.  The team now known as the Cincinnati Reds fielded the first known professional team in 1869.McDonald’s first Filet o’ Fish was sold in 1962 in Cincinnati, developed for Catholic patrons observing Lent. In 2016, Landsman led the Cincinnati Preschool Promise ballot initiative guaranteeing two years of quality preschool to 3- and 4-year olds in the city, the first voter-approved initiative of its kind. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: an unequivocally false, debunked, and antisemitic forgery printed in Russia in 1903 that has been used to bolster and give language to countless conspiracy theories and antisemitic activities, including Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Jews and money and babies, oh my! Our mission of destigmatization continues with a look at IVF, and some Jewish perspectives on fertility--and infertility--with Sarah Shah, Director of Operations for the Jewish Fertility Foundation. Ap...