Easter and Esther: Tales of Violence and Hope.

Both Purim and Easter also offer tales of hope and redemption. Purim celebrates a powerful woman figure who risks her life to save her people without bloodshed. Esther’s position in the Persian court was a dangerous one because she was a member of a religious minority and her husband the king was unstable. Nevertheless, in the Book of Esther she confronts him regarding the plan he has adopted on the advice of his minister Haman, convincing him to direct his anger at Haman rather than the Jews. Esther’s intelligence and social savvy—her ability to survive and manipulate the complex mores of the Persian court to her advantage—offers a model for Diasporic Jews living as a minority in nations where most people are members of another, often hostile faith.