Sim Shalom Honors Queen Esther, Purim's Heroine & Meatless Diva with Meatless Monday
New York, NY (PRWEB) March 07, 2016 -- Sim Shalom, the online synagogue, celebrates the Purim Holiday which commemorates the Jews’ salvation from slaughter led by vegetarian Queen Esther with a new royal Meatless Monday Purim custom. Purim festivities include a feast for rejoicing, giving of Mishloach Manot - gifts to friends and the needy, and the reading of the Megillah, the Book of Esther. Colorful masquerades symbolize the queen's disguise to hide her Jewish identity from the hostile kingdom in ancient Persia. The sound of groggers symbolically drown out evil, when the name Haman, the persecutor of the Jews annihilation, name is read from the Megillah.
A less familiar part of the story, was Esther's ability to keep her commitment to being Kosher secret by eating a vegetarian diet rather then divulge her Kosher one and Jewish heritage in the Kings Palace. It is customary to eat nuts and seeds on Purim to reflect Queen Esther's primary diet, which sustained her and therefore the Jews during this turbulent time.
According to Sim Shalom founder, Rabbi and Cantor Steven Blane, "We are celebrating the spirit of Purim and the survival of the Jewish people. We recognize the need to share our commitment to helping others and through our partnership with the Meatless Monday Campaign we also honor and protect the planet."
The celebration will include Sim Shalom's global online Purim service on Friday March 18 at 7:00pm. Meatless Monday Purim recipes will be shared in the weeks leading up to Purim which begins at sunset on March 23. On Monday, March 21 Sim Shalom will honor both the Purim custom of donating food and also its Meatless Monday commitment by providing Mishloach Manot Purim baskets with nuts, seeds, and vegetarian snacks to those in need. The tradition is to give baskets of at least two different food items to at least two friends. Many are opting to make donations of food items to charities instead and Sim Shalom will follow this modern interpretation.
Of course, many Mishloach Manot include hamantashen, a delicate fruit filled and poppy seed pastry. The triangular shape represents the three corners of Haman's hat, but like the holiday the evil is replaced with goodness to celebrate sweetness and survival.
To learn more about the Meatless Monday Initiative click here.
About Sim Shalom and JSLI:
Sim Shalom is an interactive online Jewish Universalist synagogue which is liberal in thought and traditional in liturgy. Created in 2009 by Rabbi Steven Blane on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Sim Shalom offers a means of connecting the unconnected. Rabbi Blane leads accessible and short Kabbalat Shabbat services every Friday night using a virtual interface and additionally Sim Shalom provides online education programs, Jazz concerts, conversion and life-cycle ceremonies along with weeknight services at 7:00PM EST led by Rabbis and students of this online community.
Rabbi Blane is also the Founder and Dean of the Jewish Spiritual Leader's Institute,
http://www.jsli.net, a rabbinical school for professionals.
Sim Shalom, a non profit 501 © (3) tax-exempt organization, nurtures a Jewish connection through its mission of innovative services, creative education and dynamic outreach to the global community. For more information visit http://www.simshalom.com or call 201-338-0165
Rabbi Steven Blane, Sim Shalom, http://www.simshalom.com, +1 201-338-0165, [email protected]
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