Monday, March 14, 2016

Purim Is Coming!

Today's offering is an online Purim page that I did a while ago for the Jerusalem Post. This year, 2016, Purim starts on the evening of March 23 and continues through March 24. In Jeusalem (and other "walled" cities) the holiday begins on the evening of March 24 and continues through March 25. The idea behind this long cartoon was that you'd have to scroll down to read it. Like reading a Purim Megilla Scroll.

WELCOME!

And a Happy PURIM to us all !

The joyful Feast of Purim celebrates a "close call" that the Jewish people had.
If you don't know the story, read the Book of Esther in the Bible.
Reading the Book of Esther is one way that we celebrate Purim.

Traditionally we attend a reading in the synagogue. (From a long scroll, sort of like this long Dry Bones Purim Web page)

Obviously the saving of one Jewish community in ancient Persia is not what makes the joyous Purim holiday so significant.

And the characters of "Queen Esther" and "Mordechai the Jew" are NOT what makes the holiday tick.

The tale of Purim is important because it provides us with a view of the archetypical villian, Haman.


WICKED
HAMAN

And recognizing the sly Haman who wants to destroy us is important, because there seems to be a Haman in every generation.

And so on Purim we celebrate our escape from a long line of "Hamans" that stretches down through history and around the world!


On Purim we bake or buy tasty pastries called "Oznei Haman". (Which means "Haman's Ears" in Hebrew). The pastries are sometimes called "Hamantaschen" (Which means "Haman's Pockets" in Yiddish).

The triangular pastries are traditionally filled with poppy seeds. Yup, the seeds of the opium poppy. But the only buzz you'll get from "Hamantaschen" will be the yummy taste and the joy of Jewish continuity and survival.

Some people prefer other kinds of pastry fillings.

On Purim, we dress up our kids in costumes and send them to knock on the doors of our friends and neighbors.

But unlike the Halloween tradition, costumed Purim kids are not on "trick or treat" missions.

They bring a plate of food treats to give to the people whose doors they knock on.

This Purim custom is a way of letting our fellows know that we are celebrating the survival and continuity of the Jewish people and a way of expressing our love of our neighbors.


(And what better treat to deliver on this occassion than a plate of "Haman's Ears"?)

HAPPY PURIM TO US ALL!

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Monday, February 26, 2018

HAPPY PURIM

Today's offering is an online Purim page that I did a while ago for the Jerusalem Post. This year, 2018, Purim starts on the evening of Wednesday February 28 and ends at sundown Thursday March 1. In Jerusalem (and other "walled" cities) the holiday is one day later, beginning on the evening of March 1 and continues through March 2. The idea behind this long cartoon was that you'd have to scroll down to read it. Like reading a Purim Megilla Scroll.

WELCOME!

And a Happy PURIM to us all !

The joyful Feast of Purim celebrates a "close call" that the Jewish people had.
If you don't know the story, read the Book of Esther in the Bible.
Reading the Book of Esther is one way that we celebrate Purim.

Traditionally we attend a reading in the synagogue. (From a long scroll, sort of like this long Dry Bones Purim Web page)

Obviously the saving of one Jewish community in ancient Persia is not what makes the joyous Purim holiday so significant.

And the characters of "Queen Esther" and "Mordechai the Jew" are NOT what makes the holiday tick.

The tale of Purim is important because it provides us with a view of the archetypical villian, Haman.


WICKED
HAMAN

And recognizing the sly Haman who wants to destroy us is important, because there seems to be a Haman in every generation.

And so on Purim we celebrate our escape from a long line of "Hamans" that stretches down through history and around the world!


On Purim we bake or buy tasty pastries called "Oznei Haman". (Which means "Haman's Ears" in Hebrew). The pastries are sometimes called "Hamantaschen" (Which means "Haman's Pockets" in Yiddish).

The triangular pastries are traditionally filled with poppy seeds. Yup, the seeds of the opium poppy. But the only buzz you'll get from "Hamantaschen" will be the yummy taste and the joy of Jewish continuity and survival.

Some people prefer other kinds of pastry fillings.

On Purim, we dress up our kids in costumes and send them to knock on the doors of our friends and neighbors.

But unlike the Halloween tradition, costumed Purim kids are not on "trick or treat" missions.

They bring a plate of food treats to give to the people whose doors they knock on.

This Purim custom is a way of letting our fellows know that we are celebrating the survival and continuity of the Jewish people and a way of expressing our love of our neighbors.


(And an even better gift than a plate of "Haman's Ears" is one of our popular Dry Bones books. Click on store.drybones.com)

HAPPY PURIM TO US ALL!

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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Purim (1999)

Today's Golden Oldie is from 1999. It's not a cartoon. It is an online Purim page that I did for the Jerusalem Post. The idea was that you'd have to scroll down to read it. Like reading a Purim Megilla Scroll.

WELCOME!

And a Happy PURIM to us all !

The joyful Feast of Purim celebrates a "close call" that the Jewish people had.
If you don't know the story, read the Book of Esther in the Bible.
Reading the Book of Esther is one way that we celebrate Purim.

Traditionally we attend a reading in the synagogue. (From a long scroll, sort of like this long Dry Bones Purim Web page)

Obviously the saving of one Jewish community in ancient Persia is not what makes the joyous Purim holiday so significant.

And the characters of "Queen Esther" and "Mordechai the Jew" are NOT what makes the holiday tick.

The tale of Purim is important because it provides us with a view of the archetypical villian, Haman.


WICKED
HAMAN

And recognizing the sly Haman who wants to destroy us is important, because there seems to be a Haman in every generation.

And so on Purim we celebrate our escape from a long line of "Hamans" that stretches down through history and around the world!


On Purim we bake or buy tasty pastries called "Oznei Haman". (Which means "Haman's Ears" in Hebrew). The pastries are sometimes called "Hamantaschen" (Which means "Haman's Pockets" in Yiddish).

The triangular pastries are traditionally filled with poppy seeds. Yup, the seeds of the opium poppy. But the only buzz you'll get from "Hamantaschen" will be the yummy taste and the joy of Jewish continuity and survival.

Some people prefer other kinds of pastry fillings.

On Purim, we dress up our kids in costumes and send them to knock on the doors of our friends and neighbors.

But unlike the Halloween tradition, costumed Purim kids are not on "trick or treat" missions.

They bring a plate of food treats to give to the people whose doors they knock on.

This Purim custom is a way of letting our fellows know that we are celebrating the survival and continuity of the Jewish people and a way of expressing our love of our neighbors.


(And what better treat to deliver on this occassion than a plate of "Haman's Ears"?)

HAPPY PURIM TO US ALL!

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Friday, March 02, 2012

Purim Time!

Dry Bones cartoon: Purim, Holidays, Jewish Culture, Halloween, News, Costumes,
Next week we will be celebrating Purim and the country seems ready for our annual "Spring Break" of fun. Folks are hoping to see Jerusalem costumed in a coating of white snow. Driving rains and melting snow in the north are pouring into our water supply, the Sea of Galilee. The front pages of our local newspapers feature colorful photos of floats being built for the coming Purim parades.

Today's cartoon explains this longing for Purim fun.

BTW, Purim day this year is March 8th, which I hasten to point out is also "International Women's Day"'and my Birthday.

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Purim (1997)

1997 Dry Bones cartoon - PurimToday is the fun-filled holiday of Purim. This cartoon is from Purim 1997 and shows Uncle Shuldig in a Jester costume, sharing some thoughts and offering a tray of the delicious and traditional three-cornered Purim pastry which in Hebrew are called "Haman's Ears" (oznei haman).
In Yiddish they're called "hamantaschen"

To learn about Purim click here, or here.

Below is Mr. Shuldig wearing a mask, doing his "Dance of Victory", and rattling his noise maker:
Mr. Shuldig.
Have a Happy!

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Purim Snow (1987)

(1987) Dry Bones cartoon: Purim snow winter spring.
Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon done for the run-up to Purim in 1987!

The past few days here in Israel have been gorgeously Spring-like. Next Sunday will be the holiday of Purim. The conversation in the cartoon is a conversation I've had dozens of times with other Israelis. In fact, I'd had the conversation so many times by 1987 that I decided to put it into a cartoon. In Tel Aviv it doesn't snow. Tel Aviv kids just get rained on, and occasionally get to see Jerusalem or Golan Heights snow on their TV screens.

I haven't seen the weather forecast in a couple of days. I've been too busy. But today the temperature dropped a bit. And as I felt the beginning of a chill in the air, I thought "Here comes Purim ...maybe there'll be snow."

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Sunday Mail: February 17, 2008

Letters From Dry Bones Posting a cartoon every weekday leaves no room for me to simply share news, ideas, and other stuff with you, so here's a Dry Bones feature called: 'Sunday Mail: Letters from Dry Bones'.

Both of today's items are about the happy fun-filled Jewish Holiday of Purim ...upon us in just about a month (March 21st this year). It's a time of sending messages, to ourselves, to our friends, and to those who would destroy us.

Letters From Dry Bones
Item One:Purim Shalach Manot
When I was a kid, we pronounced it with Yiddish-accented Hebrew as Shalach Manos. Purim celebrates our having survived an earlier Persian (Iranian) attempt to "wipe us off the map"(as described in the Biblical Book of Esther). Shalach Manot is the mitzvah that every adult Jew is required to perform on the holiday. It means the sending of baskets of holiday goodies, treats, and munchies to others. In Israel, especially in Jerusalem it is a popular and lovely tradition.

So if you want to join in and send Shalach Manot (or Shalach Manos) goodies to folks in Israel, you can do it from anyplace in the world. Just click on Shalach Manos.

Letters From Dry Bones
Item Two: the Annual Purim Shmendrik Awards.
I need your help! These annual awards “honor” those who have most distinguished themselves by their seemingly unwitting support of anti-Semitism. It's now time to select the biggest Shmendrik of the past year. You can check out last year's award here. But what we need to do now is to select this year's winner(s). So PLEASE send me your suggestion(s) either by leaving a comment ...or send in your nominee in an email.

The email address for Shmendrik suggestions is Purim(at)mrdrybones.com. Just replace the (at) in the address with a @.

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Thursday, March 01, 2007

The Purim Holiday (1997)

1997 Dry Bones cartoon: Purim: The Spring break of the Jewish people.
This year Purim starts on Sunday evening, March 3 but because there's no Sunday Dry Bones, we'll run this year's Purim cartoon tomorrow, Friday.

Kids were already showing up today in school and on the streets in costumes and masks!! Yes, Purim is indeed the official "Spring Break" of the Jewish religion.

For a full explanation of the holiday, check what we had to say last year.

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Thursday, March 20, 2008

Purim (1983)

1983 Dry Bones cartoon - Purim Masks.
Yes friends, we are about to begin celebrating that wacky and surrealistic Purim holiday of ours again.

Today's Golden Oldie is a Dry Bones cartoon I did for Purim twenty-five years ago in 1983.

Below is Mr. Shuldig wearing a mask, doing his "Dance of Victory", and rattling his noise maker. To see previous Dry Bones Purim cartoons, just click on the "dancing Shuldig."


Mr. Shuldig.

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Thursday, March 08, 2012

Purim Dress (1975)

Dry Bones

(1975) Dry Bones cartoon: Purim, Vashti, Esther,  1975,  Shuldig,
Today's Golden Oldie is from a Purim way back in 1975. Dry Bones was then three years old! January 2013 will mark forty years of continuous publication.

Today, March 8th, is my birthday and it is also International Women's Day. Happy Me! Happy Them! ...and, of course, Happy Purim!!!

For more Purim Cartoons, click on I want more!

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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

PURIM

Purim, holiday, Jewish, Jews,
Next week will be Purim, so I'm posting this cartoon in case you'd like to share Purim wishes.

Purim is the traditional time to start thinking about Passover.
Hint: An autographed Dry Bones Haggadah makes a unique and special Passover gift.
To get yours, you can stop into the posh gift shop at the Tel Aviv Museum or come to our online Mom and Pop store store.drybones.com . . . and we'll mail it to you from our local Israeli post office.

store.drybones.com

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