Three Scrolls of Esther, damaged to varying degrees by fire, were recently discovered in an attic of an old house located in what was the Lodz Ghetto in Poland. One of them was burnt only slightly, but remained in kosher [ritually acceptable] condition, while a second one was damaged and will undergo special preservation methods. The third one was burnt beyond repair. Rabbi Avraham Krieger, head of the Shem Olam Institute for the Study of Jewish Faith in the Holocaust, facilitated the arrival of the scrolls in Israel, and the kosher one will be read aloud tonight and tomorrow in the Kfar HaRoeh Yeshiva High School near Hadera. \"This will be a symbol of the victory of the Jewish spirit over the Amalek of the Nazis,\" he said.
The Purim holiday is celebrated tonight and tomorrow - and in Jerusalem, will continue for two additional days. It is not a public holiday in Israel; schools will be closed, for instance, but public transportation and some public offices will operate as usual. Purim commemorates the events described in the Book of Esther, which is read aloud tonight and tomorrow in synagogues. The Book recounts how a complex series of events miraculously played themselves out and foiled the plot of Haman to wipe out the Jewish people in the Persian Empire. Purim is a happy, carnival-like holiday, preceded [today] by the traditional Fast of Esther, commemorating the fast by Queen Esther and the entire Persian Jewish community before her appeal for King Ahasuerus not to implement Haman\'s plot. The special Purim mitzvot [commandments] include the following: Special charity is given to the poor, and tomorrow - in most locations - Jews will eat a special festive meal and send presents of food to one another. In Jerusalem, and in several other places, the latter two mitzvot will be fulfilled on Sunday.
The Purim holiday is celebrated tonight and tomorrow - and in Jerusalem, will continue for two additional days. It is not a public holiday in Israel; schools will be closed, for instance, but public transportation and some public offices will operate as usual. Purim commemorates the events described in the Book of Esther, which is read aloud tonight and tomorrow in synagogues. The Book recounts how a complex series of events miraculously played themselves out and foiled the plot of Haman to wipe out the Jewish people in the Persian Empire. Purim is a happy, carnival-like holiday, preceded [today] by the traditional Fast of Esther, commemorating the fast by Queen Esther and the entire Persian Jewish community before her appeal for King Ahasuerus not to implement Haman\'s plot. The special Purim mitzvot [commandments] include the following: Special charity is given to the poor, and tomorrow - in most locations - Jews will eat a special festive meal and send presents of food to one another. In Jerusalem, and in several other places, the latter two mitzvot will be fulfilled on Sunday.