Get your party on; Purim is almost here! The holiday is one of the most joyous and fun on the Jewish calendar, complete with everything from feasts to costumes to wine, all in honor of Queen Esther ...

The Jewish holiday of Purim, starting Saturday evening, centers on the biblical Book of Esther. Set during the ancient Persian Empire, the story recounts how King Ahasuerus marries the beautiful ...

Sign up for Forwarding the News, our essential morning briefing with trusted, nonpartisan news and analysis, curated by Senior Writer Benyamin Cohen. In the Purim ...

Esther denouncing Haman, who, according to the Purim story, attempted to have all Jews within the Persian Empire massacred. Hutchinson's History of the Nations/Universal History Archive/Universal ...

In anticipation of writing this year’s Purim column, I realized that I am hopelessly ambivalent about Purim 5785. Last year was difficult enough. But considering the unimaginable pain that collective ...

In a few days, Jews will gather for the holiday of Purim and read aloud the Book of Esther. A month later, another gathering, another book — the Passover Haggadah. These ancient texts speak to us ...

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 ...

Picture Queen Esther. Now, take those golden locks and replace them with thick black tresses, and instead of those big round baby blues, imagine almond shaped eyes the color of onyx. And that creamy ...

It all started with a party. Achashverosh, the king of Persia in the mid-300s B.C., got drunk and ordered his wife Vashti, renowned for her beauty and a direct descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, to show up ...

Sections 1 and 2 run 1,350 words. Feel free to skip Section 3 if the rest is too long. Section 3 runs 2,300 words. Feel free to skip sections 1 and 2 if Section 3 is what grabs you. If you are ...

With Purim just a grogger’s turn away on March 19, it's time to reroll the scroll of Esther and take another look at the whole megillah. It's a story with characters so lifelike, I should quote them.

Purim begins at sundown on Wednesday. The holiday recalls the ancient story of how Queen Esther bravely saved the Jewish people. It is a tradition for groups of Jewish people to read from the Book of ...