Brooklyn Jewish congregations celebrate Purim
Purim, one of the most festive Jewish holidays of the year, is coming up this weekend, and the holiday is being celebrated by congregations throughout Brooklyn.
The story behind Purim can be found in the biblical Book of Esther. The book unfolds the story of how Esther, a young Jewish woman living in Persia, saves her people from death at the hands of a key administrator named Haman.
Some Biblical scholars believe that the Book of Esther takes place during the Persian Exile; others place it during the Maccabean period. Even though the name of the God is never mentioned, the continued survival of the Jewish people is the major point of the story.
In the story, Queen Esther gains the favor of her husband, King Ahasuerus, after another woman of the court (Vashti) refused to obey his command. Queen Esther learns of a plot to assassinate King Ahasuerus and thus saves his life.
Haman is promoted to be a chief officer in the court and is angry when the other attendants—foremost among them, Mordecai—refuse to bow to him. Haman then plots to kill the people in the king’s realm “whose laws are different from any other people,” meaning the Jews.