Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at thejewishnews.com

70 | MARCH 21 • 2024 
J
N

The Generosity of Purim
A

t sundown on the 14th day of 
Adar, or March 23, the holiday 
of Purim begins. This is the most 
joyful and festive of Jewish holidays. 
Purim commemorates the victory of 
Queen Esther and Mordechai in the fourth 
century B.C. over the evil Haman. It is 
a time to wear costumes, 
copiously use noisemakers, 
loudly boo and hiss at the 
mention of Haman’s name as 
the Megillah of Esther, is read 
and have a festive meal with 
plenty of sweets, including 
my favorite, hamantashen. 
Very tasty, indeed! Purim is 
also a time to send gifts of 
food to fellow Jews and provide aid to the 
poor. 
This year, the message of Purim, a 
celebration of the survival of the Jewish 
people, is a very serious one. Since Oct. 
7, Israel has been at war with the terrorist 
organization Hamas. This is a moment 
that, once again, tests the unity and 
resilience of the Jewish people, in Israel, 
America and around the world. 
One of the mitzvot of Purim is mish-
loach manot, which is based upon words 
of the Megillah that instructs us to “send 
portions to another.” Often this means 
sending food baskets or boxes of fruit and 
goodies to friends and family. Another 
Purim mitzvah is the mandate to give gifts 
to those who are in need. In both cases, 
Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, includ-
ing many members of Michigan’s Jewish 
community, will redouble their efforts to 
support Israel along with friends, family 
and local folks facing challenges.
As you might imagine, there are many 
references to Purim in the William 
Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish 
Detroit History. In fact, nearly 8,000 pages 
cite Purim. Narrowing my search a bit, I 
also found 156 citations for “mishloach 
manot,” along with some heartening sto-

ries.
There are bar/bat mitzvah announce-
ments that include references to mish-
loach manot. For example, as mitzvahs, 
Rachel Llyse Jacobson and Alexander 
Samuel Greenstein cite assembling gift 
packages and distributing them through-
out the community (Feb. 4, 2000, Nov. 
23, 2001). 
A story about MSU students Melissa 
Schwartz and Lauren Wolok, “Getting 
Back and Giving Back,” in the April 2, 
2009, JN, cites their work in Israel during 
an alternative spring break. Not only did 
they contribute to heavier projects, such 
as building a terrace in Jerusalem, they 
also distributed mishloach manot to the 
needy.
The JN did its part to be helpful when 
assembling mishloach manot baskets. The 
March 3, 2000, issue offered a full-page 
list of suggestions for some silly baskets 
such as “Red Hots” for a firefighter and a 
“Big Cheese” for a macher, or important 
person. It’s a fun read.
The best stories are those of children 
and families throughout Detroit getting 
together to create mishloach manot treats 
and packages. For a sampling, see “Group 
Effort” at Beth Shalom (March 21, 2003), 
“Goody Bags for Purim,” “Small Packages” 
and “Holiday Teamwork” during the 
Great Purim Parcel Project at the Jewish 
Federation of Detroit (March 5, 2004; 
March 24, 2005; March 1, 2007). Or more 
recently, “Purim O’Madness,” about the 
efforts of young adults from The Well 
partnering with Adat Shalom (April 7, 
2022).
The article, “People Who Need Purim,” 
in the March 17, 2000, issue has a subtitle 
about the meaning of Purim that is time-
less and certainly applies to 2024: “Unity 
Among Jews is Strengthened.” 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN archives, 
available for free at thejewishnews.com.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

