Purim
A feast of deliverance kept in Adar, in remembrance of Esther and of a plot that failed.
Esther, whose Israelite name was Hadassah, was a woman of the tribe of Benjamin, raised by her uncle Mordecai, who became queen to Ahasuerus of Persia. When Haman plotted to destroy the Israelites because Mordecai would not bow to him, Esther interceded with the king at great personal risk. The Israelites were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
How it is kept
The ministry keeps Purim as a celebration of deliverance, family bonding, feasting and the giving of gifts, particularly to the children. Israelite children look forward to Purim as the time of receiving gifts, since they do not take part in the secular holidays. Purim was formally established in the ministry’s observance in 1997. In a thirteen-month year it is kept in the second Adar.