Purim 2023 Resources
Welcome to the ancient city of Shushan! Get ready to embark on a fantastic Purim adventure on foot and experience the mystical story through a theatrical retelling. Before you begin, we’re sure you’re wondering…What the heck is Purim anyways?
Purim is a joyous holiday that affirms and celebrates Jewish survival and continuity throughout history. Traditionally, Purim is celebrated by reading the Book of Esther (m’gillat Esther) which tells the story of the holiday. Our story begins in Shushan, an ancient city in Persia, now Iran, 160 miles from the Tigris River. Under the rule of King Ahashverosh, Haman, the king’s adviser, plots to exterminate all of the Jews of Persia. His plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, who ultimately save the Jews of Persia from destruction. The reading of the Purim story is often a raucous environment with cheers and boos and lots of celebrating.
See below for more resources about Purim!
- Purim through an LGBTQ+ Lens from Keshet
- Purim in Reflection: The Masks We Wear from Jewtina y Co.
- Vashti, Purim, and Women’s History Month from Jewish Women’s Archive
- Why we donate on Purim from The Hive at Leichtag Commons
Black, Jewish and Queer. These three identities weave the fabric of who I am, but it took a long time to believe that they could exist together.
Lee and Toni Leichtag established the Leichtag Foundation in 1991 following the sale of their business. Lee and Toni were lifelong entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation and for supporting talent. They believed that only with big risk comes big reward. Both born to families in poverty, Toni to a single mother, they strongly believed in helping those most in need and most vulnerable in our community. While they supported many causes, their strongest support was for young children and the elderly, two demographics who particularly lack voice in our society.
Lifelong Baltimoreans, Rabbi George and Alison Wielechowski and their sons, 11-year-old Lennon and 9-year-old Gideon, are more than pursuing the good life in Southern California. Having moved to San Diego more than three years ago, they are fulfilling a lifelong dream.
You would think that as the executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride, Fernando Zweifach López Jr., who uses the pronoun they, has done all the coming out they possibly can. A queer, non-binary individual who has worked for many years on civil rights issues, López also speaks openly and often about their father’s family, Mexican-American migrant workers who tilled the fields of rural California.
Stacie and Jeff Cook understand commitment. They live it.
