March Arts Marathon 2023 Day Six

Today I’m reposting a post I made last year. That is because tonight is the start of the Jewish holiday of Purim and I want to mark the occasion. I hope those who saw my post last year won’t mind and maybe even will enjoy seeing it again. Tradition!

Purim is the holiday where we read the biblical story of Esther and how she saved the Jewish people from destruction (once again). It is a joyful holiday with costumes and carousing. I always think of it as a Mardí Gras like celebration in a cold and often gray month. But when Purim arrives I know that Spring is not far behind.

Of course there are aspects of the story I struggle with – concepts of good and evil, capital punishment, the glorifying of revenge; but that is my way of engaging with my religion – to wrestle with the texts and stories, question them, challenge the assumptions; and try to find a way to understand and connect on a deeper spiritual level.

The story is hand scribed in Hebrew on a scroll called a Megillah which is stored in a decorative case. This is the case I made for the Megillah scroll at our synagogue. It uses Yemenite Jewish decorative motifs. The Megillah scroll is taken out once a year in the synagogue on Purim to be read out loud in the original Hebrew and sometimes in English as well.

Below are shadow puppets I made to dramatize the story of Esther. I don’t have a video of the actual puppet play so I am posting still photos of the puppet scenes.

Disclaimer- Some people have objected to my use of stereotypes of good and evil characters and of beauty vs. ugliness. I understand the objection but had decided when creating the shadow play to use traditional imagery and characterizations in my puppet portrayals. The story is supposed to have taken place in Persia around 479 B.C.

Here are Esther and her Uncle Mordechai at the gate to the royal palace.
Vashti is the current queen
When the king summons you, you gotta go. Vashti is dismissed from the court in disgrace for being rebellious (Go Vashti!) and the king looks for a new queen.
Ut oh…
Why won’t he bow down to me?!
Gee, that sounds dangerous!
Meanwhile…”How we gonna get rid of this guy Mordechai and all his people?“
“Hmmmm”, says the king
Esther becomes the new queen and gets to speak with the king. “Touch my scepter” he says, and I will listen to what you have to say.
“You’re a liar and a creep!”
Guess the plan backfired. Mordechai is honored instead of Haman. A woman throws her slops on Haman’s head. YUK!
Mordechai becomes the honored and trusted counselor to the king and the Jews are saved from extermination.

THE END!

Photo of BaaBaa and me celebrating

HAPPY PURIM!

Standard

6 thoughts on “March Arts Marathon 2023 Day Six”

  2. You and BaaBaa (whose name I now know how to spell!) look absolutely gorgeous. I remember going to Purim parties upstairs in the Sea Cliff, New York fire house when I was a kid. It was fun. thanks for the memories.

  4. maddywinfield's avatar maddywinfield says:

    Thanks for all the retelling. Happy celebrating. Those puppets are still and yet beautiful.

  6. lymeguidelines's avatar lymeguidelines says:

    You know Purim was Nanny’s birthday? She didn’t have an exact Western calendar for her date of birth, but always celebrated it on Purim, which is where it fell on the calendar the family used in Poloner. But she did tell the 1940 Census that she was born Mar 14 1888. She just never celebrated it on that date; she celebrated whenever it was Purim.

Leave a comment