The Purim power of children
Many years ago, I have no idea what year it was, sometime after
1981, I remember being at Beit Hadassah, it was probably during one of
the holidays. Standing outside was Rabbi Moshe Levinger, taking in the
scene. Which was, dozens of children playing outside. I could almost
feel his fulfillment, seeing all these kids playing in Hebron.
Years later, after I’d begun working with the community, I remember
seeing an article by a prominent journalist, who’d interviewed me, and a
neighboring Arab. I have no idea what I said during the interview, but
I’ve never forgotten the Arab’s words. He told the journalist that he
knew the Jews were back in Hebron to stay. Why? ‘Look at the children, I
see the children, I see their eyes.’
For many years now I’ve photographed Hebron’s Purim events, when
everyone gets dressed up in costumes. Once in a while, a few days before
it all starts, I take a deep breath and ask myself if I really want to
do this again. After all, I have, probably, thousands of Purim photos.
But, when the day arrives, and I get out the camera, I’m never sorry.
Purim officially begins on Saturday night, but for me, it started
today. This morning, all Hebron’s children wore their costumes, and came
dressed up to school. I spent the morning running from day-care, to
nursery school, to kindergarten, and then to the playground,
photographing the bubbly, bouncing, kids, in their Purim best. And I
realized that it was the kind of occasion you never get tired of, no
matter how many times you repeat it.
Why? Just one child, with a huge grin on his or her face, posing
for a picture, while proudly telling me what they’re dressed up as,
well, it makes your whole world light up. A group of little girls,
dressed as brides or ballerinas, singing and dancing, falling on the
floor and getting up, a couple of lions, roaring as they chase one
another, Mordechais and Esthers, policemen, soldiers, and medieval
knights, you name it, that’s what they are. They treat me, not to a
breath of fresh air, rather to a breath of fresh, new life.
As I was photographing the kids and uploading material to facebook
and our web site, our neighbors were hurling rocks at Beit Hadassah,
Beit Romano and Israeli security forces in the area. They are protesting
the closing of a kilometer of road on the Jewish side of the city. They
call it Shuhada – we call it King David Street. It’s the only place in
Hebron they have no access to – they have access to 97% of the city. We
have access to only 3% of Hebron. Their demonstrations include
slingshots, rocks and firebombs.
A guest here, celebrating their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah by giving
pizza and cake to soldiers, asked me if all they have are rocks. I
answered, ‘no, but that’s all they’re using today.’ And it’s true.
They’re saving whatever else they have for bigger and better occasions.
So, knowing that, what keeps us going?
I guess we each have our own idea, but for me, seeing these
children, so happy, so carefree, so delighted, it’s worth more than a
day of sunshine. Each child is like a sunbeam, streaming down on us,
filling me with an energy that’s indescribable.
So, someone might ask, what’s the difference between Purim and
other costume holidays that others celebrate around the world? Very
simply: Purim is a festival of pure, unadulterated faith. An evil
person, aided by a seemingly all-powerful ruler, wanted to annihilate
the Jews. They came very close to succeeding. Those around didn’t see
any way out. It was, as they say, all over. But G-d wasn’t about to let
that happen. As hidden as He seemed to be, actually He was there, all
the time. Sometimes you see Him, sometimes you don’t, but He’s there, if
you know it or not. Only two people, Mordechai and Esther, battled
against the Ahmadinajed who lived thousands of years ago. How could only
two be victorious against such a strong, but wicked leader, who had
then the equivalent of today’s atomic bomb on his side? They did what
they could, and prayed, and had faith in the L-rd above, and they won
the war. The Jews were saved, and the result of that episode was the
return to Israel, to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple, Beit
HaMikdash.
Our struggles against the Hamans of the 21st century aren’t fought
by only two. Today, back home in our land, all of us, men, women and
children, by our very being in Israel, is tangible evidence of the
Divine presence, which hovers above us, ensuring our everlasting life in
Israel. The very fact that that, against all odds, Jewish children
celebrate Purim in Hebron, is in and of itself proof; who could have
ever imagined, 70 years ago, Jewish children in Hebron?
Years ago, during the intifada, called the Oslo war, a group of men
wanted to visit Hebron on Purim. We rented a bullet-proof bus, and
supplied them with helmets and vests, as they requested. After all,
snipers were shooting at us from the surrounding hills. Such precautions
were a logical necessity. As the bus entered Kiryat Arba the men put on
their paraphernalia . Then, arriving in Hebron, they looked out the bus
window and saw…
Dozens of children, running around outside, in their Purim attire,
playing games at the Avraham Avinu neighborhood Purim carnival. They
looked at the kids, looked at themselves, took off the vests and
helmets, and then stepped off the bus, into the throng of kids.
That’s the power of Purim, that’s the power of Hebron, that’s the power of children.
Purim Sameach from Hebron.
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