SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego-area rabbi says the ancient story of Purim mirrors what is happening in the Middle East today, as Jewish communities to celebrate the holiday from Monday evening through Tuesday night.
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilform, director of Chabad at La Costa, said the parallels between the 2,500-year-old story and the current conflict are striking.
"If this doesn't sound like the modern Purim story, uh, it can't be scripted any better. This is it!" Eilform said.
The story of Purim comes from the Book of Esther. It tells of a man named Haman, appointed prime minister of the Persian Empire — the world's first true superpower in the 5th century BCE.
It says Haman plotted to kill all Jewish people, but Queen Esther, alongside her cousin Mordechai, leader of the Jews, foiled the plan, leading to Haman's execution instead.
"They went from a place that their necks were on the guillotine, on the chopping block, um, to a place of great prominence and blessing. The enemies who sought to destroy them were themselves destroyed," Eilform said.
Eilform said the holiday is meant to be more than a history lesson.
"When we commemorate a holiday, it's not just to remind ourselves of something that happened a couple-thousand years ago, as compelling as the story may be. It's meant to be for the here and now," Eilform said.
Purim, a celebration of the Jews' salvation, is a joyous holiday, filled with music, a feast, and even costumes.
Right now, though, it comes with mixed emotions. Eilform said he has many family members living in Israel and worries for their safety.
"I'm checking my newsfeed every, you know, every few minutes through the night," Eilform said.
Still, he said he hopes the current conflict will end the same way the Purim story did — with resilience and peace.
"The question is how to get to the peace. What's not a question is that the Iranian regime was standing in the way of peace," Eilform said.
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