Objects

A Hasidic family from Bet Shemesh during the Purim celebrations. The festival of Purim commemorates the rescue of the Jewish community from the annihilation described in the Book of Esther. The figures visible in the photograph have been captured at the moment of the reading of the Book of Esther - during Purim, both men and women are required to listen to the contents of the scroll of Esther in the synagogue or read the book themselves at home (from which those with hearing disabilities, mental illness or minor children are exempt). The book should be read twice - in the evening, at the start of the feast, and the following day, after morning prayer. Its contents speak of the murders prepared by Haman, King Ahasuerus' advisor, against the Jewish community, caused by Mordecai's refusal to bow to him. The community's salvation was the result of the courageous actions of Esther, the wife of Ahasuerus and a relative of Mordecai. During the reading of the contents of the scroll, the assembled worshippers drown out the spoken name of Haman by whistling, stomping, clapping or hitting the knockers.

MBK, AW