The Movement for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Maurice Michaels of South West Essex & Settlement Reform Synagogue, presented his 'Thought for the Day' on BBC Radio Essex on 1 March.

Today is one of the happiest days in the Jewish calendar.  We are celebrating the Festival of Purim, a minor Festival in so far as work is allowed and the usual restrictions that apply on the Sabbath and other Festivals are not in evidence on this day.  The background to the Festival is told in the biblical Book of Esther.  In very summarised form the book relates an experience of the Jewish people when they were living in the time of the Persian Empire.  Having a different religion and customs to the majority of the people, they were picked on by an ambitious politician and condemned to death.  The queen of Persia had a Jewish background and due to that, the king altered the decree and the Jews were saved.  It’s unlikely that these events actually happened, but the story was included in the Hebrew Bible as an example of what can happen when people are taken in by those who exploit the natural tendency towards xenophobia and racism, usually caused by a fear of what is different. 

I suppose because the vast majority of Jewish Festivals are somewhat solemn in their observance, Jews have rather taken Purim to their hearts and it is celebrated as a day of fun, with the telling of the story, fancy dress parties, a carnival atmosphere and lots to eat and drink.  In fact, it’s the one time of the year that the Rabbis of old said people were allowed to get drunk, but with today’s driving laws, that tends not to occur too often.  Yet, within the spirit of revelry and enjoyment, the basic underlying theme of the story is not forgotten and many Jews, largely through this experience, real or allegorical, have become prominent in the campaigns against racism and bigotry and discrimination, especially in the twentieth century.  Several distinguished Rabbis marched alongside Martin Luther King in his fight to repeal segregation in the United States and in this country Jews have been in the forefront of multi-faith and multi-culture activities.

We, today, find ourselves once again in the throes of a battle to ensure that people are not judged by their religion, nor by the colour of their skin, nor by which country they came from.  Refugees, migrants, asylum seekers are generally people, just like the indigenous population, wanting to raise their families in peace, wanting to work to provide for their families, wanting to improve their circumstances a little, wanting to get on with life without hurting anyone else.  If only they were just allowed to get on with that, our country would be a much happier place for everyone.  May the joy of our Purim festivities be shared by all.

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