Searching for God and joy in Purim
Two strong women — Vashti and Esther — take center stage in the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Their story is recounted as part of the celebration, when the Book of Esther, or “Megillah,” is read.
Queen Vashti is the first to appear. After she refuses to follow King Ahasuerus’ orders to be on exhibition, she is punished.
“She puts her life on the line to resist this,” said Rabbi Steve Gross at the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism. “And as a result, she’s banished from the kingdom. Vashti comes to represent a woman of principle, who is strong enough to say ‘no’ to requests that are belittling and subjugating.”
Later, Esther becomes queen and also risks her life to expose prime minister Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews. She implores Ahasuerus to spare her people from destruction.
“In the Book of Esther, Vashti and Esther are role models for us to emulate,” Gross said.
“Each is a strong queen who stands up for herself. Each puts her life on the line for values she believes in, and each marshals an inner strength to speak truth to power in a society that prefers that women remain silent.”
Vashti’s day in the sun
But Vashti was not always seen as a heroine, explains Rabbi Samantha Safran from the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, also known as “the J.” She is sometimes treated as not only a pariah but a villain, simply for refusing to display her beauty before the king’s guests, wearing nothing but a crown.
Since the #MeToo movement, Vashti’s story has been seen in a new light — one that recognizes her bravery, Safran explained.
“It took on a whole new meaning in recent times,” she said. “Now we’re able to look at Vashti through a different lens, as a hero who would stand up for herself.”
Lately, the concept of celebrating Vashti in addition to Esther has become more popular, Safran said.
This year, the J decided to host “Vashti’s Virtual Banquet,” offering six events online Feb. 22- 26.
Presenters include Anna Solomon, author of “The Book of V,” which interweaves the Purim story with the lives of modern women, and celebrity chef Einat Admony, owner of Middle Eastern restaurant Balaboosta, falafel chain Tai and New York couscous bar Kish-Kash.
An online concert by international Ladino musical artist Nani Noam Vazana will be part of the lineup, as will a pre-show with cantor Rollin Simmons from Congregation Emanu El and Star Trompeter from Congregation Beth Israel.
The banquet will include three lunch-and-learns with rabbis from different congregations. Safran will talk about history-making female rabbis, and Rabbi Sarah Fort from Congregation Beth Yeshurun will focus on rebellious Jewish women. Rabbi Annie Belford of Temple Sinai will discuss Esther and Vashti in detail.
“Vashti has been embraced in modernity for standing up for herself,” Belford said. “We’re going to look at how Vashti and Esther serve as role models and offer inspiration.”
Sharing the story
A number of other celebrations across Houston will also honor Esther’s bravery.
“It took so much courage to do what she did,” Safran said. “Mordecai tells her, ‘This is your moment. You need to take it.’ She does — and that’s something to celebrate. It’s about survival and seizing the moment.”
Temple Sinai members will celebrate Purim in pajamas, gathering on Zoom on Feb. 25, to read from the Megillah, sing holiday songs and enjoy hamantaschen together.
At Congregation Shaar Hashalom, serving Houston’s Bay
Area, the Purim story will be told to the tune of “Grease” this year. The Purim Spiel, or play, is scheduled virtually on Feb. 27.
Longtime member Sharon Rosenthal said her mother inspired her to try her hand at the task.
For Hanukkah, her mother wrote a play based on “Camelot,” for Purim “Man of La Mancha” and for Passover “Oklahoma.”
“I always thought it was so much fun,” Rosenthal said. “But no one knows the music of ‘Man of La Mancha’ anymore. We did ‘Grease’ instead.”
Rosenthal is asking members who live in the same household or who are in the same bubble to sing the lyrics. There are also roles for narrators, who prefer a speaking part over a song. Participants are encouraged to don their own costumes.
No one will see the whole script in advance — only the songs they have been assigned.
“They’re going to be surprised,” Rosenthal said.
J-HYPE, Jewish Houston
Young Professionals Experience, is celebrating Purim with music, cocktails and a Megillah reading. The Purim Soiree will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. Feb. 25 at Electric FeelGood, 2416 Brazos. Guests are encouraged to wear their best ’90s costume. To stay safe during COVID-19, the event will be on an outdoor patio, and masks are required. Attendance is limited, and reservations must be made in advance.
At Congregation Emanu El near Rice University, the Purim story will be shared with a lot of laughter. Simmons and Rabbi Joshua Fixler will debut their “Saturday Night Live”-inspired event Feb. 25.
Their “Shushan Night Live,” named for the city in the Book of Esther, includes skits and spoofs on the traditional tale. Staff members began filming in January. Even the children and adult choirs got involved for a parody of “I Will Survive.”
“We had a lot of fun with it,” Simmons said. “It was an opportunity to be silly together. I think people watching will laugh.”
Celebrations in the parking lot
Emanu El’s Helfman Religious School will host a drive-thru Purim at 10 a.m. Feb. 21. Proceeds will support school programs and student scholarships.
At the drive-thru, a station will be dedicated to each of the four Purim mitzvoth, or Hebrew commandments — offering gifts to friends, reading the Megillah, charitable giving and enjoying food together.
The mitzvoth are also central to the Purim Palooza at the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Members will celebrate from the safety of their cars in this socially distanced, parking-lot Purim featuring music, a mask-making contest, Megillah reading and comedic cirque performer.
“We’re bringing similar content, similar stuff, just in a new format,” said program director Justin Deutsch. “Purim is a fun, joyous holiday, and that’s something everyone is looking for right now.”
The congregation’s Gross said cultivating joy is an important part of Purim.
In fact, Purim falls in the Hebrew month of Adar — and according to the Talmud, the text of Jewish law, “When Adar comes, joy increases.”
“Adar comes around the same time as Mardi Gras,” Gross said. “It’s a shifting from the darkness of winter to the spring, to revitalization and rebirth.”
Purim and COVID-19
Finding a way to honor tradition has been complicated by the pandemic, Safran said.
“This whole year, month by month and holiday by holiday, we are finding ways we can get creative and help celebrate our Jewish identity even when we can’t get together,” she said.
Belford said that God’s absence from the Book of Esther is significant.
“It’s the only book we have where God is not explicitly mentioned,” she said. “What we learn from Purim is that sometimes God is as hidden from us as much as Esther had to hide her identity. It’s up to us to search and find God.”
In this year, that search feels pertinent, she said.
“In this year, where do we still find God? That can be a difficult task for us,” she said. “And maybe that’s why we have this holiday in the first place.”
Finding God in the midst of a challenging year, remembering and celebrating the triumph and struggles of the Purim story, shows that joy and sorrow often coexist, she said.
Gross said Purim is a reminder of God’s presence in the face of adversity.
“It celebrates God’s role in our lives in a time of crisis,” he said.