Photos and story by Robert Kalfus
This year’s Purim festivities at Chabad of Yonkers saw people dressed in all individual costumes, live music, dancing, singing, and a delicious kosher dinner of various chicken items, which included plentiful three cornered cookies known as hamentaschen, filled with poppy, prune, apricot, or other fruits.
More than two thousand years ago, Persia, having defeated the Babylonian empire and now ruling the largest empire at that time, spreading from India to Ethiopia, King Achashverosh’s concern was to how now reward the princes, governors, and subordinates of the 127 far-flung provinces and to ensure their loyalty. The King threw a 180 day party in his new capitol of Shushan with unlimited drinking, food, and more where he could display his unlimited wealth and splendor to the thousands whom he invited. King Aschashverosh demanded that his Queen Vashti appear before all his assembled princes and governors wearing nothing except her crown, immodestly displaying her beauty. Vashti’s refusal to appear so angered the King that he ordered her removal and the search for a new virgin to replace her. Esther, a niece of Mordechai, was chosen but Mordechai advised her not to reveal her origins.
Yet his viceroy, the wicked Haman, had an irrational resentment and hatred not only of Mordechai, but all of the Jewish people, and conspired to kill, murder, and annihilate in one day all of the Jewish men, women and children living throughout the Persian Empire’s 127 provinces. At the correct time, Esther asked the Jewish people to fast for three days and at the appropriate time she then risked her to appeal to the King to annul the evil decree granted by the King to Haman, thus saving the Jewish people all throughout Persia.
The joyous Purim holiday annually commemorates the Jewish people’s victory and salvation from the plot of the wicked Haman, who with King Achashverosh’s permission was instead hung from the gallows he had erected to murder our savior Mordechai.
After an all day from sunrise to sunset fast on Thursday, March 13, Purim this year started after sunset, and continued through Friday, March 14th, ending before Shabbat. On both Thursday night and Friday, people listened attentively to the public reading of the Megillah, a handwritten scroll from which the Book of Esther is read aloud, recounting the entire Purim chronology. People dress in costumes, both disguising and revealing our true selves and intentions.
Chabad of Yonkers Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz welcomed all to the Purim party, as “it is the most joyous day on the Jewish calendar! We celebrate the day with celebration, saying we look forward to Purim with gifts of food, charity, reading the book of Esther, dressing in masquerade and festive celebrations.”
