Shades of the Present Day in Purim Megillah

by Rabbi Richard Hirsh

What an odd moment in American cultural history surrounds this coming season of Purim. The opening chapters of the Megillah are replete with narratives that resonate in contemporary terms. A husband orders his wife to appear wearing her royal diadem — and, in the midrashic imagination, “nothing else” — for the amusement of his banquet guests, none of whom speak to the inappropriate and degrading demand.

Spirituality, News & Culture, BlogDanielle CantorFebruary 22, 2018Purim, Esther, Vashti, Me Too, Gun Violence, domestic violence

Viewing The #MeToo Hashtag As A Teaching Tool

by Shira Epstein

We explored the need to hold both in our classrooms: Our biblical characters who speak up, and those whose voices are silenced or who censure themselves out of shame and fear. Those whose power is elevated through voice, and those who we never hear.

Spirituality, Inspiring Women, BlogDanielle CantorFebruary 22, 2018Me Too