Alef: The NEXT Conversation
Birthright Israel NEXT’s 5th Question
We’ve asked Jewish educators and organizations all over North America to add a fifth question to the Seder – one that will inspire us to make Passover meaningful for today’s Jewish world. All of our contributors have provided us with some really interesting food for thought, so we thought it would be nice to put a question out there ourselves. Find out more about our 5th Question project.
Last but not least, this 5th Question comes from our office, Birthright Israel NEXT -
On this night we look into the past to tell a story about the history of the Jewish people. What do you take from this story as you write your part of the future of the Jewish people?
Happy Passover!
Photo by peteoshea, licensed under Creative Commons.
PunkTorah’s 5th Question
We’ve asked Jewish educators and organizations all over North America to add a fifth question to the Seder – one that will inspire us to make Passover meaningful for today’s Jewish world. Find out more about our 5th Question project.
This 5th Question comes from PunkTorah -
Research shows 50% of Jews are Atheist or Agnostic. And despite remarkable advances in Egyptology, to date, there is no archeological or historical evidence suggesting the story of the Exodus actually happened the way most Jews tell it each year.
All things considered, should this night be different from all other nights?
PunkTorah is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to independent Jewish spirituality, culture and debate. Our projects include the PunkTorah.org blog, OneShul (the world’s only online independent minyan) and The G-d Project, the first social media platform and web documentary dedicated to Jewish spirituality.
Photo by archer10 (Dennis), licensed under Creative Commons.
Moishe House’s 5th Question
We’ve asked Jewish educators and organizations all over North America to add a fifth question to the Seder – one that will inspire us to make Passover meaningful for today’s Jewish world. Find out more about our 5th Question project.
Our first 5th Question comes from Moishe House -
The questions are the key purpose of the Seder, in asking them it’s important to pick up on something that makes this night different from all other nights. The 5th question can be personal to the group of people that are joining together.
What is different about this night, that on all other nights we eat in separate homes, but tonight we are all together?
Joshua Einstein from Moishe House Hoboken also asks:
Why is it that on other nights most Jews around the world do not participate in Jewish holidays, but on this night over 80% of the Jewish people engage with their peoplehood and history?
Moishe House is an international organization providing meaningful Jewish experiences to young adults in their twenties. Our innovative model trains, supports and sponsors young Jewish leaders as they create vibrant home-based communities for their peers.
Photo by Basheertome, licensed under Creative Commons.
Purim: The Other Halloween…or is it?
By Barbara Newman
As Purim approaches this year, for some reason, the old TV ad-campaign, “pork, the other white meat” comes to mind. Poor pork, apparently such an underdog to chicken that it needed its own ad-campaign. I know nothing about pork, and yet something about the ad resonates with my thoughts of Purim. In this day and age when so many Jews in America celebrate Halloween, Purim is relegated often to the “other Halloween,” but is that really fair? Should it even be compared to Halloween? Would more Jews celebrate Purim if they knew more about it, and opt out of Halloween entirely? I remember having to convince Jewish friends who loved dressing up for Halloween to come out to a Purim party. Why is Purim such an underdog?
On the surface, Purim and Halloween seem to have a number of similarities – costumes, parties, revelry — but cut deeper into them and you will find many differences.
Halloween (officially All Hallow’s Eve or All Saints’ Eve) is a secular holiday. Much of Halloween’s imagery is evil and scary, with ghosts, ghouls, witches and skulls, and these themes seem to be encouraged. Growing up, I remember hearing about tainted candy and people who would go out on the streets and throw eggs and spray shaving cream all over the neighborhood. Historically, Halloween was a time of year when many pogroms would occur, making it a genuinely scary time to be a Jew.
Purim, on the other hand, is a time to rejoice in the story of individuals overcoming evil. The word “Purim” means “lots” – a reference to Haman casting lots to determine the day he would destroy the Jews, ultimately settling on the 13th of Adar . It is an interesting echo of the Jews history with Halloween, but luckily for the Jews, Purim did not turn out so frightening. Through individual actions, good triumphed over evil, giving us more reasons to celebrate than to fear. Rather than trick-or-treat and take from others, the Purim tradition asks that we give to others, through Mishloach Manot (gifts of food) to our neighbors, and charity to the poor.
Although it is a Jewish holiday, on the surface, Purim can seem fairly secular. The heroism, triumphs and miracles of Purim came about through the actions of people. No reference to G-d is made throughout the Megillah reading and excessive drinking is encouraged (even in Synagogue). But all is not what it seems. Just as we dress up in costume and wonder who is beneath, there is hidden and significant meaning behind the seemingly secular nature of the holiday.
So is Purim really “the other” Halloween? Looking behind the mask of each holiday reveals just how different they truly are. Might Purim need a better marketing campaign so that more people will celebrate? Well that’s a different question.
Photo by Miala, licensed under Creative Commons.
Prep for Purim
If you’ve been hearing a lot about “groggers,” “hamantaschen,” and “megillahs” in the last week or so, that’s because Purim is officially on the horizon – Saturday evening into Sunday March 19th and 20th to be exact (or the 13th and 14th of Adar if you’re going by the Hebrew calendar).
Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect from all this chatter:
Grogger
The grogger is traditionally the noisemaker of choice for congregants and party-goers alike while listening to the story of Esther, used to drown out the sound of the name “Haman,” the villain in question. For some, they’re also a sign of drunken revelry. For the reading of the megillah, listeners are strongly urged to drink to the point of confusion between the good guy (Mordechai) and the villain (Haman).
Hamantaschen
Yes, there will be food. You may recognize these triangle-shaped, jelly-filled cookies (see above) from bakery shelves all year round, but they are actually the signature treat of Purim.
Megillah
“Megillah” is the generic term for a scroll but is traditionally used to describe the biblical writings. Among these is the story of Purim found in the Book of Esther, which will be told and celebrated in Purim Spiels all over the land.
Alef is joining in the celebration with a few bits to get you through the holiday, like this video from the Maccabeats (made famous by their Hanukkah-ized interpretation of the song “Dynamite”) or this Purim Spoof of The Jewish Week. Stay tuned.
Photo by Plutor, licensed under Creative Commons.
Follow Us
2009. Alef: The NEXT Conversation All rights reserved.
Home |
About |
Contact Us
Recent Comments