Purim is a Weird Holiday

Purim is a very weird holiday. And Jerusalem is, as I'm sure you've gleaned this already, a very weird city. It has been a strange week.

First, the basics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purim

I grew up in a Jewish home. I knew this story. Oh wait! No I didn't. I didn't know that Megillat Esther (Purim book) says that Haman is the distant descendant of Amelik, who has a pretty nasty track record in the Tanakh (Bible) for killing Jews when they're at their weakest. I hadn't thought at all about the intense connection between the story of Purim and the Holocaust. And I definitely didn't know that Purim was celebrated on a different day in Jerusalem than the rest of the world!

You must be thinking, "Wait. You mean Purim is celebrated in Israel on a different day. Right?" Nope! While Tel Avivians (that is, people from the city of Tel Aviv) were parading the streets on the 14th day of Adar (this year March 10) clad in costumes, Jerusalemites were waiting patiently (or traveling to Tel Aviv for the festivities) for their day to come. In Jerusalem, Purim is celebrated on the 15th day of Adar (this year March 11).

"But why?" you ask. Because one time we had a wall!

At the end of the story (the part no ones likes to remember) the King gives Esther permission to send out a decree to all the Jews allowing them to fight back against those who were going to kill them. They kill thousands of people and it says that the Jews fought on the 13th day of Adar and celebrated their victory on the 14th. But the Jews in the walled town of Shushan fought for two days and celebrated on the 15th day.

So the Jews in Shushan (Iran) celebrate Purim a day later. No, you're not wrong. I'm not living in Iran. But the rabbis were concerned about honoring the city of Shushan more than Jerusalem. So even though at the "time" of Esther, the city of Jerusalem was in ruins, because once (in the time of Joshua) Jerusalem was a walled city, they decided to include it. Of course, to make things more complicated, during the time of Joshua when Jerusalem was a walled city, Shushan wasn't. Crazy rabbis.

So while the rest of the country (except a few other possibly walled cities which we won't get into right now) was winding down its Purim festivities, Max and I trekked over to a drag show to kick off our Jerusalemite Purim. The drag show was NOT funny, but Purim hasn't been a total bust. Here are the highlights:

- Seeing a donkey walking down the street.
- Conversing with Elliot-as-Sarah-Palin who wouldn't break character (even when the confused Israeli bar tender couldn't understand him/her)!
- Having my cheeks pinched by Mara's fiance Josh-as-a-charedi(religious Jewish)-woman.
- Letting the Purim spirit take control and climbing aboard the stage during the drag show to move a huge vase that was blocking my view!

We're heading to a big Purim shin-dig this afternoon and I have to do Elliot make-up.

Chag sameach! (Happy holiday!)