The Wonderful Timing of Purim This Year

While children across Jewish Day Schools are reciting the infamous Purim song La Kova Sheli Shalosh Pinot and stuffing their faces with handfuls of Hamantaschen, the reality of the ironically perfect timing of Purim this year rings a more grim…

Purim 5783: Lots of Luck

You know how it feels to search frantically for something – say, your car keys – only to discover that they were in your pocket all along?  This is how I felt as I was brainstorming some topics relating to…

Leftist Jewish Group Defends Ahasuerus’ Decision

Editor’s note: This article is Purim satire. On March 2, most Jewish and pro-Israel UCLA organizations stood in unity against Ahasuerus, the Persian frat-boy and king who spent governmental funds to host a 180-day-long party and is currently planning a…

Purim: did the party really end?

It is no secret that Persians like a great party with food, wine, dancing and music! King Ahasuerus of 4th century Persia, was no different, throwing a 180-day-long drunken festival in celebration of his vastly growing Persian Empire in its…

Purim costumes at UCLA!

As the story of Purim goes, the Jewish people had to conceal their Jewish identities, thus explaining one of reasons why we adorn ourselves with costumes on Purim. Regardless of the reason, who doesn’t love a good dress-up party? On…

New UCPD policy inspired by Jewish holiday of Purim

Inspired by the holiday of Purim, the University of California Police Department has implemented a new test to determine student driver intoxication levels. The new policy, which goes into effect Friday, will have an officer showing students side-by-side photos of…

The Book of Esther and what makes a Jewish hero

In the Torah, a hero is not someone who chooses to do precisely what he or she wants to do as an individual, not someone who never does wrong, and certainly not someone who never errs. In the Torah, a…

How to make your own Mishlo’ach Manot for Purim

At the conclusion of the war of the Jews against their former aggressors, Mordecai established the Purim holiday as we know it, making the 14th and 15th (for certain cities) of Adar “days of feasting and joy, of the sending…

Ha’Am Hits: Purim

With Purim next Sunday, the Ha’Am staff has been busy preparing. Check out our favorite Purim-related links from around the Web. 1. Brush up on your knowledge of Jewish law and custom pertaining to this major historical holiday with this…

Purim Katan: the irregular holiday

If you regularly peruse a Hebrew calendar, you probably know that Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot are in the month of Tishrei, Chanukah is in Kislev, Purim is in Adar, Passover is in Nisan, and Shavuot is in Sivan.…