PURIM Purim is the annual remembrance and celebration of the events described in the book of Esther. During the reign of Aḥashverosh of Persia, one of his senior officials, Haman, conspired to “destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, women and children, on a single day” (Esther 3:13) – the day chosen by the lottery (pur) that gives the festival its name. The Jews were saved by a combination of the defiance of Mordekhai and the plea of his cousin Esther, who had been taken into the royal harem and was a favorite of the king. Haman’s plan was thwarted, and he and his sons were hanged on the gallows they had prepared for Mordekhai.