Purim is over. Isn't it?

Someone should tell the Jerusalem Post that Purim is over and they can stop running all those satire pieces. Like the article about the guy masquerading as Defense Minister who lost it in the Cabinet meeting yesterday. I mean, really, who would believe that this Mexican bandito look alike union hack would have that kind of responsibility with so many threats facing Israel? Even for Purim it's more pathetic than funny. It's almost on the level of having the most corrrupt and least popular pol in the country be Prime Minister. Get outta here.

And the one about China asking Iran to please, please open their nuclear facility for inspection; the accompanying sidebar has the Iranian FM denying that they've even temporarily halted uranium enrichment. Guess all that oil just isn't meeting their energy needs. Like, they wouldn't be doing all this for anything other than peaceful reasons, right? Which leads to the 3rd article on the page reporting on the meeting between Hamas' Mashaal and Ahmadinejad saying that "Israel will eventually disappear from the map and Palestinians (sic) should prepare for that". Yup, no point in procrastinating. Plan must be to kill us with kindness.

We have our own FM, Tzippi Livni, peeved because the latest blood libel type claim, that Israel massacred POWs in the '60's (they just happened to be battling Israeli troops at the time and not captured) is riling up Egyptians and putting a crimp in her visit with the Egyptian FM. "Right now the relations between Israel and Egypt are based on peace and understanding......" says she. Wow, there are 2 Egypts. How cool is that?

Moving right along, German (German!) senior bishops compared conditions in today's Ramallah to the Warsaw Ghetto. (I have found in my many years of Israel advocacy work that Europeans love to compare Israel to the Nazis, it relieves them of any guilt they may have over what they did during the war- or at least didn't stop others from doing. I mean, if we treat the Pals like we were treated then WWII is nothing to feel so bad about, whoever is in power kicks the little guy. We were getting it from them in the 40's so we trundled over here and did the same to the innocent Arabs who didn't know what hit them. I had that argument thrown at me by a Pal in a debate; that they were the ultimate victims of the Holocaust. I'd heard it before but usually not accompanied by Holocaust denial arguments, it's traditionally one or the other. I politely asked him to make up his mind what tack he was taking because you can't claim to be the victim of something that never happened. He was nonplussed, I was delighted. Knockouts are rare in this business, I have savoured that one for a long time now.)

Wrapping up what must be the Purim spoof section is of course the report of the Kassams falling outside a 'strategic facility' south of Ashkelon, shot from the Gaza Strip. I mean, no sane country would allow nearly daily barrages at not only their cities and civilians but at power plants and other critical infrastructure. No wonder (Ashkenazi, at least) Jews are the funniest people in the world, according to academic research published last year.

Maybe we have it all wrong and it's really Purim every day. I'll drink to that.

Hail to the Queen

Purim is over for most of us in Israel. Jerusalem and Safed and cities that were walled in Joshua's time (don't ask) are celebrating Shushan Purim now, because the Jewish residents of the Persian capital were allowed an extra day to be very politically incorrect and fight those who meant to kill them for a whole day more. Guess that's how they did it in those days with no CNN. Cool. We had a great day, though, giving alms to the poor, feasting, sending goodies to our neighbors, helping friends empty those pesky, half filled scotch bottles.

Megillat Esther, which we read last night and today, is an unbelievably fascinating book and look at palace intrigues of 2500 years ago, a real Arabian Nights. Unfortunately, certain things about that world remain the same, so like too many women today Esther did not have control over her life. The beautiful Jewish orphan was forced to become Queen to the Persian Medean King whom historians say was Xerxes, after their conquest of the Babylonian Empire. Among the 127 nations the P-Ms inherited were the Jews, exiled from Judea after the First Temple was destroyed.

Esther is the heroine of the story, risking her life to intercede with the king against Haman, his powerful 'chief of staff', who wants to kill all the Jews and appropriate their wealth because he hates one Jew, Mordechai, Esther's uncle. (The basis for much anti-Semitism over the centuries, , that extrapolation). There's a lot more that would take, well, a whole megilla to discuss, but one point has really resonated with me for a few years.

At a critical juncture in Jewish history Esther does what has to be done and along with the brilliant political savvy of her uncle they not only save the Jews physically but reawaken them religiously, preventing their assimilation into the first diaspora . (For a terrific read on the book in 'modern' terms check out The Dawn by Yoram Hazony. And when I figure out how to make that title light up in blue and send you to the site I will do so, meanwhile do a search, the book is available through Shalem Press. Women in the Arab world have sadly not made too much progress for equal rights; I'm lagging in the hi-tech arena. Patience, patience.)

Back to Esther. She pays an enormous price for her bravery and loyalty since her own lineage ends, her children do not identify as Jews. Evidence supports the theory that King Darius, who was sympathetic and let Jews return to Judea and begin rebuilding the Temple, was her son, but he is a Persian and she is off the Jewish stage from this point on. The disparity is further compounded by the very last word of the megilla which speak of Mordechai's offspring, (I just noticed that today) so he was able to stay in the fold while she could not.

This really resonates for me. Raising my kids as proud, devoted Jews in Israel is of paramount importance, as is knowing that the chain continues and that future Jews will come from me. Esther in effect sacrificed her life in order to save the Jewish people, (no less than our young soldiers who die in battle), because she left no one to carry on. So many of us are trying desperately to better the lot of the Jewish people in so many ways; she, by being in that time and place did a magnificent thing, but at a huge cost, a choice no one wants to make. Her personal baton was dropped, her family could not stay a part of Am Yisrael.

Legend has it that she insisted that this book be a part of the biblical canon, a story with a timeless message. How utterly tragic that so many Jews throw away their heritage while others make such sacrifies for it.

On a clear and beautiful Judean evening I gaze at the sky, overwhelmed by a fate that brought me home, to the very place where her family was exiled from so long ago.

In gratitude, a Purim toast to Queen Esther. Your sacrifice was not in vain, for Jews once again live proudly in Judea.

Thanks, m' lady.

Mother of the Year in the Humiliation Category

It doesn't happen often, but today I laughed till I cried.

First I will introduce Earl, father of my 7 children. As my oldest (blond) daughter pointed out awhile back, we are married longer than she's been alive. Hey, in our time it was done that way. I guess she was okay with the idea because she got hitched, too, before presenting us with our granddaughter last year. And no, we don't tease her that much anymore about that brilliant insight, but only because she's made funnier bloopers since then, hence the hair color comment.

But I digress. (Get used to it. I free associate, can't help it, things pop into my head and I know that unless I say it right then I'll forget. Intellectual interlude, senior moment, whatever, in my ADD household this organized control freak has pretty much given up and is getting mellowed and impulsive.) So back to today. Hubby and I are invited to a 'earl'y (groan) Purim party tonight at friends and I decided to get dressed up. For those of you unfamiliar with the Jewish holiday mantra which is "they tried to kill us, we beat them, let's eat", Purim is slightly different but only because of the additional emphasis on drinking, revelry and dressing up in addition to the more serious and meaningful rituals which are not the subject of today's post so we'll do remedial Judaism 101 another day. Think Halloween crossed with St. Patrick's Day with a jib jab look and you'll have some idea of what goes on.

I bought a curly dark wig (my own tresses being Miss Clairol dark blond but I remain with a brunette brain, best of both worlds I think) and tried it on today. Na'ama, who is (too) rapidly approaching 16 was helping me with the 'do' when I realized that Nili needed to be taken to her art class. I grabbed the car keys and Nili and headed out, figuring that I wouldn't see anyone on the way so I could go out like Betty Boop and no one would notice or care if they did.

Wrong. On the way back I spied our other car off on the side of the road. I remembered that our 18 year old son, Amiad, had asked for the car and realized that he must be with his new girlfriend, whose identity he has adamantly refused to reveal. (You'd think he was ashamed of us or something....) And not being one to miss an opportunity to thoroughly embarrass one of my kids (remind me to tell you about chasing Marnina down on the schoolbus with her antibiotics in hand 15 years ago, I think it was the fact that I was wearing pajamas that mortified her but possibly not) I pulled over and tooted my horn. All I could see were 4 sock clad feet up on the windshield, but soon 2 heads joined them. Oh, where is a camera when you need one? (Actually, there was one on my lap because my cellphone has a camera but I forgot.) Amiad's face was absolutely priceless, and more shades of red than a crayola crayon box, the jumbo size. It was so great. I waved sprightly at the girl (adorable and I now know who it is, hah) while he, well, fortunately we have 6 other kids so someone may still take care of me when I get old. But you know, it was worth it. He tore out of there while I gave myself a high 5 while dissolving into hysterics. (Okay, you're thinking that I should get a life. Point taken, but we have to have some fun while waiting for Ahmedinajad to blow. Oh, did I mention that the Purim story happened in Persia? The more things change...)

Even better was coming into the house and telling Earl solemnly that I had caught Amiad having socks with his girlfriend. (They were just talking. Really. Do you think I would write about this otherwise, although there's no doubt I'm more sanguine with my boys than girls. Not fair but true all the same.) He was still chuckling over the story a few minutes later when Amiad came home to major ribbing. He's talking to me - okay, fine, it's because he was hungry and wanted dinner - but I'm not sure he'll be bringing you know who around any time soon.

Too bad. She has a cute instep. And her parents are very nice, too. Wonder if they know.

It's a cold and quiet evening in Judea. Wow, it's nice to laugh. Hope Amiad doesn't read blogs, though.