Comments (0)

By Benjamin Roth-Aroni, March 10, 2020 12:07 pm

During my early childhood (early 50’s) in N.E. Philadelphia, I listened to Gladys Gewirtz singing all the songs from the Jewish holidays and holy days on our big RCA-Victor S-1000.

My grandma Nessie’s hamantashen were so yummy I couldn’t stop eating them.  Sadly, she passed away when I was 7 [Z”L].  Many years went by. Now I’m 73 and I work with thousands of recordings (Jewish, Jazz & Classical) at the RSA, but Gladys Gewirtz will always have a special place I my memory.  I still miss my Grandma!

Ben Roth

P.S. Prune Hamantashen are my favorites.

Purim – The Story of Esther

Esther (née Hadassah), an orphan raised by her uncle Mordechai, was taken against her will to Persian King Ahasuerus’s harem. There, she was forced to prepare herself for her first night with the King by spending six months doused in oil of myrrh and another six in sweet odors ointments. The night of their union, Ahasuerus loved Esther “above all women” and made her the Persian Empire’s Queen. Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the attendants of the King’s feast.

When events took a turn for the worst and Esther learned that Prime Minister Haman planned to kill all Jews in the Persian empire she decided to act immediately to prevent the genocide. She told her uncle: “Go, gather all the Jews together and fast for me.  Neither eat nor drink for three whole days. ” Mordecai argued that these three days fast happened to include the Passover night, which should not be a night of fasting. Esther retorted, “Without Jews, who needs Passover?”

She invited both Ahasuerus and Haman to a private banquet. At that banquet Esther told the king of Haman’s plan to massacre all Jews in his kingdom, then acknowledged her own Jewish ethnicity. The information about Haman enraged King Ahasuerus and he gave an order that Haman be hanged.   He also elevated Mordecai to prime minister and gave Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy.

Looking for music to celebrate Purim, discover over 20 vintage albums to choose from here at the Recorded Sound Archives!

Comments (0)

By Recorded Sound Archives, March 18, 2016 4:36 pm

PURIM, which, in English, means [drawing] LOTS, is about the book of Esther which is also known in Hebrew as Megillah (the Scroll).  It is a book in the third section of Ketuvim (Writings) of the Jewish Tanakh (Hebrew Bible).  It relates to the story of a Hebrew girl in Persia, born as Hadassah but known as Esther (niece of Mordechai), who becomes Queen of Persia and thwarts the genocide of her people by the wicked Haman, a high official in the court of King Achashverosh.

Haman sought to annihilate all the Jews, Mordechai’s people, throughout King Achashverosh’s’ entire kingdom.  For Haman plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and he cast a “pur”, which is a LOT, to shatter and destroy them. For this reason, they call these days “Purim,” after the pur.

The story forms the core of the Jewish festival of Purim, during which it is read aloud twice: once in the evening and again the following morning. A Purim party often takes place during this time where children dress up in costumes usually relevant to the story of Purim. It’s a fun time for everyone including adults!

Here at the Recorded Sound Archives, we have put together a collection of over 20 recordings for you to enjoy with family and friends this Purim.

Enjoy!