Aloha Bread Lovers – This Sunday we will be serving our fresh bagels and lox for breakfast. This means that rather than having bagels on Saturday we will move our bagel day to Sunday this week.
As I write this mail, the U.S. and Israel are about two hours into their attack on Iran. We have tried to be careful and steer clear of politics however it is difficult not to relate to these events, not least of which as they impact our family and friends in Israel. What makes this even more dramatic is the proximity of this attack to the Jewish holiday of Purim this Sunday – one of two holidays in which observant Jews are actually required to get drunk (the other is Passover where you need to drink four cups of wine). The current events underscore the idea that history often repeats itself. Purim celebrates the failed attempt of the ancient Persian advisor to the King who tried to annihilate the Jews living in Babylon: Purim: which literally means “lots” and is sometimes known as the Feast of Lots, is the Jewish holiday in which Jews commemorate being saved from persecution in the ancient Persian Empire. According to the Book of Esther in the Torah, the Jewish people of the city of Shushan were threatened by the villain Haman, a prime minister who convinces the King Ahasuerus to kill all the Jews (because the Jewish Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman). Haman casts lots (hence the name of the holiday) to determine the date he would carry out his plan: the 13th of Adar in the Jewish calendar. In the end, the Jews are saved by the heroic Queen Esther, Mordecai’s niece (and adopted daughter), who married Ahasuerus. When Ahasuerus discovers that his wife Esther is Jewish, he decides to reverse Haman’s decree, and instead of the Jews being killed, Haman, his sons, and other enemies are killed instead.
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in modern day Iran led by Ayatollah Khomeni, Iran has made it its mission to destroy Israel, calling Israel the “Little Satan’ and the U.S. the “Big Satan”. They have dedicated their vast resources towards this end. Prior to the Islamic Revolution, Jews and Muslims had lived peacefully in Iran for centuries. Since then, Iran has trained and funded terror groups such as Hezbollah, who among other acts of terror, attacked a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994 killing 85 people and injuring 300. We abhor the use of violence and war. I would imagine that Mordecai and Esther did not relish the violence needed to prevent Haman from implementing his plan, but they were left no choice. Our prayers are with the innocent people on all sides who have been caught up in a war not of their choosing, and of course, with the men and women soldiers – the modern-day Mordecai’s and Esthers – risking their lives in the hopes of making the world a safer place for everyone.
Mahalo – David and Yael