#Essentially none of these are actual antisemitic stereotypes. Don't be concerned.

[yvesdot]

My Purim post has blown up! Thank you so much for making my dream of being a Purim evangelist (?!) come true. And here are some replies to the replies to the post! Since we can’t do this like normal people anymore.

Firstly, a general thank you to the outpouring of positivity. Thank you to the non-Jews who have helped spread some cultural information, and thank you to the Jews who made me feel less alone celebrating Purim this year. And thank you to those expressing excitement that their favorite (Christian) Biblical heroine had a (Jewish) holiday! That was very sweet.

And now the distinct questions!

Many people asked in tags: What’s the appropriate greeting?

“Happy Purim” does just fine! In Hebrew we might say “Purim sameach” because it means the same thing.

@captainqueeg, who is tragically untaggable, replied:

This is not the first time this week I’ve heard a ‘you should start celebrating purim’, can I ask, who is that directed at? I’ve never met a Jewish person who doesn’t know about Purim. Do you mean non Jews should take it up?

This is a great question!

Firstly, I have heard of Jewish people who do not know about Purim. Tragic, but it happens. This is usually the case for Jews who have less “Jewish education” or something like that; while general culture knows about Hanukkah, Purim’s relative lack of popularity means some Jews without access to specific Jewish education never do discover it. And that is tragic.

With regards to non-Jews: I would find it quite odd to celebrate it alone, yes. I have taken non-Jewish friends to Purim parties, though! And it was a fantastic time ^__^ I’d really like non-Jews simply to know about the holiday, and it would be very very cool to run into a non-Jewish person who knew what I was talking about when I talked about Esther. Of course, nobody has to; it’s just nice to have awareness when you talk about your culture. So my primary goal here was to spread knowledge; thanks for asking for clarification.

In addition to that, many Christians in my notes were excited to hear that a favorite Biblical heroine had a holiday! My primary goal was to spread the word.

I noticed a couple people had this concern, which was interesting, because I’ve never really run into this IRL in any capacity. I suppose I don’t find it as much an issue because I’ve never seen it be one. We have enough to worry about ;^^

@kubaneh replied:

mordechai was esther's cousin :)

YES you are absolutely correct; my apologies. I noticed this in my translation/commentary the day of, but not the night of Purim. I was certain I’d get something wrong, and if it was this, I can live. 

Someone who will not be named because I blocked them replied:

By all means, get in on the fun if you're Jewish, in the conversion process, or invited to by a Jew. Judaism is a closed practice. And, beware of Chabad. My Jewish Learning is far more objective and inclusive!

Honestly baffled as well by OP's choice as a Jewish person to use an image with an inhumane skin color, red eyes, and pointed ears. So many antisemitic tropes!

To address the first concern: you can see what I’ve said above re: non-Jews celebrating Purim. 

To address the second: Chabad was the first site which came to mind to read the Megillah on, particularly with regards to simple navigation and commentary. A friend helpfully noted Sefaria, and I’m happy to provide that link as well. I find MJL extremely helpful when looking up questions of law across sects; Chabad is where I go for full Jewish texts. I don’t agree with everything posted on Chabad!

To address the third: This is the silliest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I wish you the absolute best.