Rabbi Emily JK Holtzman . Valley News/Courtesy photo
Rabbi Emily JK HoltzmanSpecial to Valley NewsThere is an old Jewish joke that goes, “every Jewish holiday is the same – they tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat!” And this week’s Jewish holiday of Purim is no exception. Here is a quick rundown of the story of Purim.Purim is an upside-down day full of paradoxes, secrets and hidden identities. On Purim, the book of Esther (Megillat Esther) tells the story of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai as they fight to save the Jews of Persia from persecution and destruction. Esther, which means “to be hidden” in Hebrew, was originally named Hadassah but decided to conceal her identity when the king threw a beauty pageant in search of a new wife. He kicked out his old wife Vashti when she refused his call to dance for
