JERUSALEM — Israel has closed off the West Bank to prevent attacks over the Purim holiday. The closure went into effect on Wednesday morning and will remain in place until Saturday night, the Israel Defense Forces announced. Purim takes place this year on Wednesday night and Thursday throughout Israel; Jerusalem and Tiberias in Israel’s north…
With Purim around the corner, it occurs to me that many people see Donald Trump as Haman, the genocidal villain of the Purim story. That’s not quite right: He’s Ahasuerus, a different kind of danger, and one that’s worth contemplating today. In case you need a refresher, Ahasuerus, in the Book of Esther, is the…
An assortment of Breads Bakery hamantaschen, with the poppy-seed version at the top. And we have the recipe. New York’s is known for its beautiful babka and stunning seed-studded challahs, which are available year round. Its equally exceptional hamantaschen, however, are only available at Purim. Happily, the bakery just shared its coveted recipe with us,…
Editor’s Note: Tim Duggan Books is running a giveaway contest for Sisterhood readers. Click here to enter to win a hamsa-shaped metal charm and a galley of the book. When I first began writing my new novel, I wanted to do three things. 1) Give the Khazars — a tribe of Turkic warrior Jews who…
A crisp, savory take on the traditional triangular treat, these hamantaschen are filled with veggie crumbles and topped with salsa and creamy nacho sauce. My first kitchen memories are of baking hamantaschen with my sisters. All nine of us would gather around the table and cut out circles of pastry dough, stuff them with jam…
Purim is this week! We hope you have your costumes picked out, are getting ready to bake some hamantaschen and flexing your hands in preparation for all that vigorous grogger shaking. If you need a refresher on the story of Purim and only have, say, 30 seconds, we’ve got you covered. Here’s the story of…
Some 19th-century groggers are constructed to allow users to hang Haman over and over again
Some time ago, I came across the Twitter feed of a prominent American Jewish writer in which I noticed several disparaging remarks about ultra-Orthodox Jews, with liberal use of words like “parasites,” “psycho Haredim” and other choice denigrations. Whoa, I thought, that’s a bit harsh, and I tweeted at the writer, saying so. Another writer,…
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