Glossary

The entries selection comes from the book “Dictionary of Judaica” (2005), which was written by a group of authors led by Eva Kosáková . Entries were further processed by Jaroslav Kuntoš, Dana Veselská, Olga Sixtová, Michaela Scheibová and Lenka Uličná. The book can be purchased at our e-shop.

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Purim

A festive holiday on 14 Adar that commemorates the saving of the Jews from destruction in the Persian Empire. The story that describes this event is written in the Book of Esther. During the holiday, the entire book is read from a scroll during the service; each time the name of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, is mentioned, rattles are shaken and people stamp their feet, to blot out his memory. It is customary to send gifts of food (mishloah manot) to friends and presents to the poor. The holiday is traditionally celebrated with a carnival-type feast, which involves Purim games, special food (such as “Haman’s Ears”) and the drinking of wine to the point of not knowing the difference between the evil Haman and the good Mordecai.

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