Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Jews are noted for humor, but was the biblical book of Esther written as a comedy? True, it provides the basis for Judaism's most lighthearted festival, Purim. But could an ancient holocaust plan to ...

Purim, or the Feast of Lots, is a Biblical Jewish festival known for extravagant costumes, the exchanging of gift baskets, performances, and a feast. This joyous celebration commemorates how ancient ...

Purim is widely depicted as the most thoroughly joyful of Jewish holidays — highlighted by celebrations that include costumes, skits, noisemakers and varying degrees of rowdiness. It celebrates the ...

(RNS) — The festival of fun and frivolity has been harder for some Jews to celebrate in the wake of the destruction of Gaza. (RNS) — The Jewish holiday of Purim is traditionally a wild and woolly ...

I remember the first time I noticed something strange about the megillah, the biblical Book of Esther that is read aloud in synagogues worldwide today, on the Jewish holiday of Purim. It was ten years ...

As Jews around the world hear the Book of Esther read aloud this Purim, they might not know that they’re listening to the most biblical of all Jewish texts — or so claims Prof. Jacob L. Wright in the ...

This year, the festival is extended to three days in walled cities – adding the day before and the day after – giving rise to what is commonly known as Purim Meshulash, or “triple Purim.” Amid the ...

Purim is a Jewish holiday that falls in February or March. While it's known as the holiday when Jewish people dress in costumes, there's more to it than that. Here's a brief lesson on what Purim is ...