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