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Topsy-Turvy // Yair Lifshitz
An annual outlet for the pressure cooker of the medieval Jewish community, the Purim spiel subtly subverts the power structures of Jewish society, making a mockery of their authority
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Why We Eat Hamentashen // Shmil Holland
How did the traditional Purim pastries originating in Eastern Europe become associated with the festival? And how did Haman’s ears end up in his pocket-book?
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The Fire of Faith // Shai Secunda
In the Persian empire of the book of Esther, it was the Gnostic fire-worship of the Zoroastrian faith that reigned supreme. The meeting of Persian and Jewish cultures generated mutual influences, as well as the sparks of confrontation
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A War of Words // Ari Geiger
Far from the gentle poet of contemporary imagination, Dunash’s pen was mightier than a sword and its sting more venomous than a snake-bite. The prizes at stake were fame and fortune, and the battlefield – the field of Hebrew grammar
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Jerusalem Carpenter // Mordechai Eshel
A Jordanian king dreams of the perfect parquet, but it takes a Jewish carpenter from Jerusalem to make it happen. While Arab riots raged in Palestine, royal limousines whisked Mendel Cohen to work in King Abdullah’s palaces
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Book review
In Ishmael’s House, Marin Gilbert // Lara Kwalbrun
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Herod: The Man Who had to Be King, Yehuda Shulewitz // Elka Weber
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Jerusalem – the Biography, Simon Sebag Montifiore // Henry goldblum
This blithely written book presents Jerusalem as the home of all monotheistic faiths, disregarding the unique bond between Jews and their ancient capital
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From the Archives
The Jewish Gauchos // Yochai Ben-Gedalia
Jewish settlers in Argentina
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Preservation
Where There Are No Trees… // Moshe Haim Shapira
The remains of the forests in the Land of Israel
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Laterally Speaking
The Attitude in Latitude // Moti Passal
Ancient maps in perspective