Aside from the first Purim in Israel, the Archive Blog presents some real Purim jewels in the form of this ‘Best and Worst’ list:
Worst punishment for a Purim costume:
(1926) Sentenced to prison for impersonating nun at masquerade ball
Best megillah-reading accomodations:
(1962) Jewish commuters celebrate Purim on train; Megillah read by rabbi [[READMORE]]
Best conjecture that Soviet Jews are responsible for increase in Israel’s hamentaschen consumption:
(1973) Purim festivities galore in Israel
See also that year: Soviet emigrants celebrate Purim
Worst conjecture of hamentaschen ingredients:
(2003) Saudi academic accuses Jews of using children’s blood in hamentaschen
Best quote evoking the name of ‘Haman’:
(1927) "I cannot understand why some of our brethren go from one extreme to the other. Only last week Henry Ford was regarded by them as a Hamen and now they are almost willing to declare him a Mordecai." — [Louis] Marshall
Worst quote evoking the name of ‘Haman’:
(2000) "This evil man [Meretz party leader Yossi] Sarid is like Haman of old." — Chief Sephardic Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
Best Purim seuda (meal):
(1923) Fowls galore for Purim feast
Best use of proceeds from campus hamentaschen sales:
(1971) Hillel students dramatize Jewish consciousness presence
Best indication that the word ‘gay’ had a different connotation in 1933:
(1933) Gay celebration of Purim in Tel Aviv; 10,000 Arabs participate
Best Purim celebration keeping with theme of veNahafokh-hu (reversal of fortune):
*Tie
(1945) Belated Purim services held in Goebbels castle by American Jewish troops
(1946) Jews in Germany mark first free Purim since liberation at series of festivities
Best rescheduling of Purim party to avert death by natural disaster:
(1977) Rabbi Rosen describes Rumania’s earthquake and the consequences
Best use of dual heritage as an excuse to drink:
(1969) Irish Jews Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Purim with a reigning ‘Colleen Queen’
IMAGE: Children in Gateshead by Erifyli Orli Tsavdari (CC BY 2.0)
