There’s so much to learn from the Purim story - and the writers on the JWI blog have scratched the surface. Before you commence your Purim festivities, we encourage you to curl up with some hamentaschen and reflect on the varied lessons to be pulled from this joyous holiday, including some of our favorite’s from last year’s #IAmVashti campaign.
By Valerie Brown
Esther is regarded as one of the greatest heroines in the Jewish canon. The Megillah tells the story of how, through her beauty and bravery, she is able to save her people from Haman’s evil plan to destroy them. But through a feminist lens, the story is a bit more complicated.
There’s so much to learn from the Purim story - and the writers on the JWI blog have scratched the surface. Before you commence your Purim festivities, we encourage you to curl up with some hamentaschen and reflect on the varied lessons to be pulled from this joyous holiday.
By Anita Silvert
When my girls were little, I thought very carefully about what movies they would watch. Disney movies provided a unique challenge, though many parents show them without thinking. I didn’t.
By Rabbi Richard Hirsh
Despite the hyperbole that is characteristic of the Scroll of Esther, this gender-specific discrepancy in how much time must be allowed to prepare oneself for public presentation remains a conundrum in contemporary teen-age culture, inside the synagogue as well as outside. There remain significant discrepancies between Bar Mitzvah boys and Bat Mitzvah girls when it comes to "how to dress."
by Sheila Katz
Now is the time to reclaim the history of these two women, recognize them as the community organizers and activists they were, and give them the credit they deserve. We must see Queen Esther’s decisions as intentional and courageous and embrace the bravery of Queen Vashti’s disobedience.
by Sarah Tuttle-Singer, New Media Editor at The Times of Israel
So this Purim I’m teaching my daughter another lesson. I’m teaching her that Vashti was a hero, too.
by Meredith Jacobs, COO, JWI
In today’s era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, it’s now time to add #IAmVashti.
How the couples in the Book of Esther communicate—or not—speaks volumes about the quality of their relationship.
Instead of using Vashti and Esther as foils for each other, let us amplify their voices as unique and independent responses to their challenging circumstances.
When we look at the Book of Esther through a modern lens, it can teach us a thing or two about developing a strong sense of self and how that enriches our relationships.
