For word nerds, the Book of Esther contains a special treat — the longest word in the Tanakh. Technically, v’ha’achshadrapanim and its eleven letters makes it the length champion of the entire Hebrew Bible. It means “and the satraps” or “and the governors of the provinces of the Persian Empire,” and it comes near the…
Somehow, a teenager wearing blackface got into the Purim party. That much was obvious to the black Jewish woman who pointed him out to the organizers of the party, hosted by Chabad-Lubavitch of South La Cienaga, a Jewish community center in Los Angeles. Despite the fact that his face was completely covered in black makeup,…
Purim is the holiday to beat all holidays. Excessive drinking! Tinsel-y decorations! Thematic cookies, objects that exist just to make noise, a steamy backstory about a female role model, and, of course, costumes. We’re far from the season when Sexy Plumber outfits can be purchased off the side of the road, plus who the hell…
Awkwardly closed a web page, like a teenager whose parent is hovering, at the sight of the unexpected search results to “Adult alien costume.” Seriously, when did extra-terrestrial become a fetish? Argued with a tiny human to try to convince them they really want to be part of the family dressing up theme. I know…
GLUTEN FREE HAMANTASCHEN Yields 1 ½ dozen Hamantaschen Ingredients: Filling: 2 cups water 1 cup poppy seed (or other filling of choice) 1/3 cup raisins Finely grated zest of 1 small orange ½ cup orange juice ¼ cup honey ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp salt 1 egg, beaten lightly 1/3…
For 72 years running, some of the country’s foremost scholars have gathered in one of the University of Chicago’s most Gothic halls to debate one of the most challenging questions of our time: what is superior, latkes, the Hanukkah fried potato special, or hamentashen, the triangular Purim pastries? To paraphrase 2018 debate moderator Joshua Feigelson,…
Let’s get one thing straight: Halloween is by no means a Jewish holiday. It takes place entirely outside, it promises zero alcohol or home cooking, and it celebrates fear for fear’s sake (like life’s not bad enough!) But Purim isn’t for another five months, so let’s do this. Here are 12 Halloween costume ideas that…
The story of Purim opens with a 180-day party capped off by a seven-day mega-party. It ends with the instruction that the holiday should be celebrated by Jews “as days of feasting and merrymaking,” which should be taken as “an obligation.” And so, on Wednesday night I set off into the night with the goal…
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