A Purim Message...

Many many years ago, in a land known as Shushan, a quiet woman became a reluctant hero as she stopped the persecution of her people. Those people were the Jews. That woman was Queen Esther. Has the world changed? No.

Sixty-five or so years ago a young woman joined an underground militia group in order to save her people. She parachuted into enemy territory and continued her quest ... even when her male counterparts aborted the mission. She was arrested along the Hungarian border. She was tortured and manipulated. She died in front of a firing squad in order to save her people. Those people were the Jews. That woman was Hannah Senesh. Has the world changed? No.

On March 19, 2008 a young woman was sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture about World War II and the rise of Hitler. A classmate asked a question about American sentiment towards the Jews in the 1930's. The topic of Henry Ford came up and another classmate stated there had been no evidence that Henry Ford was anti-Semitic and that he donated a lot of money to the Jews. The young woman, after sitting in silence, blurted out that Henry Ford ran a publication called the Dearborn Independent and spread anti-Semitic rhetoric throughout Michigan. She continued that Henry Ford did not "donate" money to the Jews. He was sued by the Jews for libel and he later issued a half-assed apology. When no one else stood up to false reports of history, she did. She stood up for her people. Her people are the Jews. That woman was me.

I find it hard to wrap my head around anti-Semitism existing in 2008. After six million Jews perished during the Holocaust, one would think the world would have grown up. However, it hasn't. Jews are still persecuted. Many Jews live in silence in the United States because they simply do not want people to look at them as just another Jew. However, no matter how you look at it a Jew is still just a Jew. It is part of our identity. Moroccan, Persian, Polish, British, American, Canadian, Mexican...etc. Those labels don't exist when you're a Jew.

Eight young men died while studying the holy text. They were shot to death by their own driver. The people of Sderot, Israel live in fear of Kassam rockets raining down on them as their children sit in school. Even I refrain from wearing shirts with Hebrew writing or Jewish stars on them while walking around the campus of my school. Never would I thought I'd be the person to shy away from the identity I find comfort in. However, it's for my own protection until I can go home to Israel.

When will the world learn not to hate us? When we will learn to stand up for ourselves? When will we finally stop being sheep lead to the slaughter because we didn't want to ruffle feathers? Where are the Queen Esthers and Hannah Seneshs of the world who stood up for their people? When can we, the people of Israel, finally stop living in fear? When do we, as a nation, culture, and religion, stand together in unity?

When?

As Jews around the world celebrate Purim today, we are reminded that anti-Semitism is still rampant through the world. People are still out to get us... no matter where we live. People are still out to destroy the People of Judah, the People of Abraham ... the People of Israel. There are still lessons to be learned as we listen to the scroll of Esther.

We are still one people.