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PURIM page 10
a Jew by not bowing to Haman,
Esther was forced to deny her
Jewishness — or publicly affirm
it. But Haman was finally re-
vealed as an anti-Semite, and
his doom is sealed.
Today, too, we wonder about
our Jewishness. Is it religious,
cultural, ethnic? Is it various
combinations of these? Who is
a Jew? What is a Jew?
From the Middle Ages on-
ward, Purim celebrations seem
to rival our unconscious desires
and libidos. Why on Purim in
Tel Aviv do Orthodox Jews
dress up like cowboys? Why do
secular Jews in Haifa dress up
as Chasidic Jews? Why did Ted-
dy Kollek in Jerusalem once
wear tails and a top hat and
ride a camel? Why do American
rabbis dress up as fire fighters,
cartoon characters, animals,
candy bars, etc.?
Is there something deep and
dark here? Or is it just the Jew-
ish silly season? Doesn't every-
one need a time to blow off
steam? Isn't imagination a
wholesome exercise? As one
child wrote:
I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm
happy as can be,
For Purim is coming as every-
one can see.
My costume is finished, my
mask is done;
I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm
ready for fun.
On a more serious note, there
is the paradox of including the
Book of Esther in the Hebrew
Bible even though it does not
mention the name of God.
There are several theories about
this.
Maybe it was not in fashion
at that time to use God's name.
Maybe the book itself invites
frivolity. It might even be be-
cause, as Maimonides suggest-
ed, it is impossible to grasp the
concept of God and divine at-
tributes, and the Almighty is
Is there something
deep and dark
here? Or is it just
the Jewish silly
season?
best referred to as "the name-
less one." After all, when Moses
asked the name of God, the re-
ply was, "I am that I am" (Ex-
odus 3:14). God is where God
chooses to be, and the presence
of God is more important than
God's name.
The megillah deals with one
of the oldest games in history:
"Blame It On The Jews." Purim
is annual, but it reminds us that
anti-Semitism is perennial:
Russia just officially announced
that the vicious The Protocols
of the Elders of Zion was a
forgery._The Lutheran church
recently announced that the
works of Martin Luther contain
elements of Jew-hatred. The
Vatican just announced that
anti-Semitism is a sin, and is
working toward exchanging
diplomats with the State of Is-
rael.
Yet, neo-Nazism is increas-
ing. (Although there are no neo-
Nazis; there are only Nazis).
Russian' recently gave an as-
tounding number of votes to
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a blatant
anti-Semite. Anti-Semitic
events continue to rise in the
United States. Periodically,
Holocaust denial raises its ugly
head.
Purim's paradox, then, is that
despite all odds and furious
forces against us, Jews are still
here. Purim is the supreme fes-
tival celebrating Jewish sur-
vival. Jews are not very good at
hating — from the time of
Haman to Hitler. Instead, we
treat them as baboons and fools.
We laugh our way through
the centuries. We give gifts of
food. We help the needy. In
short, on Purim we act as Jews.
That is why it is appropriate
to greet a fellow Jew on this day
with the traditional words, "A
guten purim" — "A merry
Purim." El
Mentsh Making
Class Meets
Elissa Rosenfeld will lead "The
Next S.T.E.P.," an eight-session
study group which is a follow-
up to preschool or elementary
Mentsh Making — S.T.E.P.
classes. This class will encour-
age parents to take a fresh look
at their parenting style and pro-
vide an in-depth look at factors
which influence the ability to be
effective parents.
Held at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, this series will
meet on Sundays, Feb. 27-May
1 from 10-11:30 a.m.
Call Ruth Beresh, 681-5353,
to reserve a place. There is a fee.
Bach Festival
Adds Trio
The Michigan Bach Festival
will add the St. Clair Trio to the
season's roster. The group is
composed of Detroit Symphony
concertmaster Emmanuelle
Boisvert, assistant principal cel-
list Marcy Chateaux and pi-
anist Pauline Martin.
The opening Michigan Bach
Festival concert is slated Feb.
20, at 7:00 p.m. at the Somer-
set Collection.
For ticket information, call
the festival office, 271-1939.
N