Buch Grünewald

54
Kölner Mädchen und Jungen entdecken jüdische Spuren… Kommt mit!
the 14th of the month of Adar. When there is a leap year, there are
two Adars (Adar Aleph and Adar Bet). Purim is celebrated in Adar Bet
during a leap year.
6. In walled cities, like the Persian city in which the story of Purim first
took place, Purim is celebrated a day later, on the 15th of Adar. Today,
the only recognized walled cities celebrating the later Purim date are
Jerusalem, Hebron and the Old City of Tzfat in northern Israel.
7. The holiday of Purim begins on the 13th of Adar (regardless of whether
or not you live in a walled city) with the Fast of Esther. In Hebrew,
this fast is known as Ta‘anit Esther. The day-long fast commemorates
Esther‘s three-day fast before she revealed her true identity to the king
and pleaded for her people‘s safety.
8. The expression „the whole megillah“ comes from the holiday of Purim.
On Purim, the story of Esther is read from a scroll known as a megillah.
The whole megillah must be read twice on Purim, once at night and
once the following morning.
9. In addition to being one of the most festive holidays, Purim is also one
of the noisiest. That‘s because every time Haman‘s name is mentioned
during the reading of the megillah, worshippers are instructed to make
as much noise as possible to drown out his name. A special instrument
was even created for all this noisemaking, called a gragger (grogger).
10. The Book of Esther is the only holy Jewish book that does not ever
mention God‘s name.
11. Jews are commanded to give charity on Purim. Another commandment
on Purim is to give gifts of food to friends and loved ones.
12. On Purim, children dress up in costume for Purim parades and carnivals?
Traditional fare includes little Queen Esthers. Of course, modern
day revelers also dress up as Disney Princesses and Super Heroes.
13. Hamantashen are a three cornered pastry filled with poppy seed that
are served on Purim. The cookies are named for the three-cornered
hat that Haman wore. In Hebrew, hamantashen are called oznei haman,
or Haman‘s ears. (Hamantashen recipes)
14. There is a town in Missouri called Esther. There is also one in Louisiana.
On Monday, 9th March 2009, Jewish people from Tarnów celebrated Purim.
It was a great celebration due to the fact, that it has been the first
celebration of Purim in our city since World War II. The Celebration was
Kölner Mädchen und Jungen entdecken jüdische Spuren… Kommt mit!
organized by the representatives of Chabad Lubawicz and it took place in
the only remaining part of the old synagogue – The Bimah. A rabi and the
manager of the Polish division of Chabad said: “This event has a unique
meaning for the Jewish community. Before the Holocaust, Tarnów used to
be a hometown for thousands of Jews. Now, after a 70-years-long break
we celebrate Purim here again and these celebrations are a symbol of our
great joy, which accompanies this holiday”.
The students from our school took part in the celebration, which started at
5.30 p.m. After the initial speeches of the invited guests, the rabi Szalom
Ber Stambler sang ‘Megilat Ester’ in Hebrew. When the name of Haman
was read out, people stamped their feet and made noise (many had
noise makers for this) to drown out the evil name of the villain. The boys
had to cover their heads as we were in the synagogue and the girls were
not let in near the Bimah. They had to move to the back, to a special
place for women. At the end we were given special cakes called Haman‘s
ears and the adults were given some vodka which was supposed
to make them joyful and happy.
» » »
The Jews of Tarnów
Before World War II, about 25,000 Jews lived in Tarnów. Jews, whose
recorded presence in the town went back to the mid-fifteenth century,
comprised about half of the town‘s total population. A large portion of
Jewish business in Tarnów was devoted to garment and hat manufacturing.
The Jewish community was ideologically diverse and included both
religious Hasidim and secular Zionists.
Immediately following the German occupation of the city on September
8th, 1939, the persecution of the Jews began. German units burned
down most of the city‘s synagogues on September 9th and drafted Jews
for forced-labor projects. Tarnów was incorporated into the General
government. Many Tarnów Jews fled to the east, while a large influx of
refugees from elsewhere in occupied Poland continued to increase the
town‘s Jewish population. In early November, the Germans ordered the
establishment of a Jewish council (Judenrat) to transmit orders and regu-
55