Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
An Ode to Hamantaschen
N
ext week, at sundown on the 14th
day of Adar II or March 16, is the
holiday of Purim. This is the most
joyful and festive of holidays, a celebration of
the survival of the Jewish people.
Purim commemorates the victory of
Queen Esther and Mordechai in the fourth
century B.C. over the evil Haman. Those
who celebrate wear costumes, copiously use
noise makers and, at the men-
tion of Haman’s name, loudly
boo and hiss. The Megillah of
Esther is read. In addition, it
is a time to send gifts of food
to fellow Jews, give money to
the poor and eat a festive meal,
which usually includes sweets.
One of my favorites is the
tricornered Hamantaschen (the name is a
combination of “Haman” for Haman and the
German word for pockets, “Taschen”).
I explored Purim in the William
Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit
History and found that the holiday is men-
tioned on 7,464 pages. I also noticed that
Hamantaschen was mentioned 141 times.
And, I thought, now this is a subject worthy
of a deeper dive into the Archive.
Did I mention that I like Hamantaschen?
The first citing of Hamantaschen was in
a story by R. Rogoff — “Moey’s Purim Gift”
— published in the Children’s Column in the
March 2, 1923, issue of the Jewish Chronicle.
In the story, Moey’s mother makes him
“Hamantaschen and strudel and all the other
cookies and sweetmeats that help make
merry the feast of Purim.” There is wisdom
in this story: Hamantaschen and strudel and
cookies, etc., does indeed make me merry. I
know I’m not alone in this opinion.
By the way, Moey’s Purim gift for his
mother was the rediscovery of her long-lost
brother.
Hamantaschen is also an important topic
in many stories about families preparing for
Purim or local organizations preparing food
baskets for the those in need. For example,
see the story on the Hamantaschen Bake-
Off for seniors and nursery school chil-
dren at the Jimmy Prentis Morris Jewish
Community Center in the March 10, 1993,
JN.
On several occasions, the JN also pub-
lished Purim primers such as “Purim
at a Glance” on March 20, 2008. These
guides always included references to
Hamantaschen.
Over the years, the JN published what
are perhaps the most important cita-
tions for Hamantaschen: recipes! The
first one that I found was in the Feb.
23, 1945, issue of the JN for traditional
Hamantaschen. Likewise, Alfred Parker,
chief chef of the Yeshiva, presented his
recipe in the March 5, 1965, issue.
Since then, the JN has published reci-
pes for a wide variety of Hamantaschen.
There is one for “Tipsy Haman Hats”
that includes brandy, as well as dates,
nuts, raisins and apricot jam (March
9, 1990). Annabel Cohen provided
versions with chocolate, peanut
butter, cream cheese and Mohn
or Poppy seed fillings (March 17,
2000). For the more adventurous,
Rebecca Pilner presented recipes
for Rice Krispies, Triple Chocolate
and Egg Roll Hamantaschen.
No Purim celebration is com-
plete without Hamantaschen.
Recipes for the triangle-shaped
treats are only restricted by one’s
personal tastes and imagination.
This I learned from my most
serious study of Hamantaschen
in the Davidson Archive. It was
time well-spent ... but not as
well-spent as eating Hamantaschen.
Did I mention that I really like
Hamantaschen?
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
62 | MARCH 10 • 2022