Today, the Jewish world is celebrating the delightful spectacle of Purim.
A story of conquering enemies that wish to see the destruction of Jews is an achingly bittersweet and familiar one. On the one hand, it is cause for celebration; on the other, the losses taken throughout the process are immense.
Haman sought to destroy the Jewish people because they refused to bow before him. However, their faith taught them that they must bow only to their one true God, making such a demand an act of arrogance and defiance against their beliefs.
The story of Purim recounts how King Ahasuerus married Esther, a Jewish woman and the niece of Mordechai. Haman, a high-ranking official in the king’s court, ordered all subjects of the vast empire – from Hodu to Cush–to bow before him. When Mordechai refused, Haman launched a ruthless campaign against the Jewish people.
When October 7, 2023, came about, Hamas – ironically only one letter off from the Book of Esther villain – tried to force our people to bow and cave to their genocidal whims.
Israel, carrying its sorrow and hurt on its shoulders, fought and fought hard to both defeat the enemy and bring back our loved ones so cruelly taken from us.
The Jews of ancient Persia were targeted, too. They lived in the Diaspora under a regime that saw them as secondary citizens. Much like Jews around the world and, in particular, on college campuses, they were left hiding their identities or marginalized, Queen Esther being the best example.
Indeed, Esther married Ahasuerus without revealing to him that she was Jewish. Only when her cousin Mordechai’s life hung in the balance due to Haman’s evil scheme did she reveal that she was Jewish to her husband, the king. Diaspora Jews are not unfamiliar with the fear of revealing one’s identity in their own homeland.
But that is not the only point of comparison between the story of Purim and modern-day times. Just as ancient Persia’s leadership was infected with hate and antisemitism, so, too, is the modern-day Iranian regime.
Iranian leader's ongoing threats towards the Jewish state
The regime, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has maintained a line of threatening the Jewish state at best and attacking at worst, as well as directly stating that it is in relation to its status as a Jewish-led country.
This has not been just verbalized, but also acted on and made clear, not only through Iran’s two major attacks on Israel throughout the past year, but also through its consistency in supporting terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as rejecting any notion of a Jewish state existing should the conflict end.
This is not something that can be ended with simply bringing the matter to light to a well-meaning king in love with his Jewish queen; he will not deliver freedom of self-defense to the Jewish people. The Iranian state is bound in its corrupt foundations to the destruction of an entire people: our people.
Yet, just as in the time of Esther and Mordechai, the Jewish people do not cower in the face of existential threats. Instead, they rise, fight, and endure. The lessons of Purim teach us that survival is not just a passive act – it requires bravery, action, and a refusal to be silenced.
The festival reminds us that, despite the presence of evil, miracles can happen when we stand together. Today, just as then, the Jewish people and the State of Israel remain steadfast.
From the students defending their identities on campuses to the soldiers on the front lines, the spirit of Esther lives on in every Jew who refuses to hide and in every defender of Israel who stands against those who seek its destruction.
Purim is not just a historical tale; it is a reminder that the Jewish people have faced hatred for millennia and have always found a way to survive and thrive. Haman’s decree failed, as will the ambitions of those who seek to wipe out the Jewish people today.
As we celebrate Purim, let us remember: the Jewish people are still here, still strong, and will never bow to those who wish to erase them.
Just as in ancient Persia, our enemies will not prevail.
