Emory Professor Miriam Udel Shares Stories About The Jewish Holiday Purim

Hamantaschen are triangular pocket-filled cookies enjoyed on the Jewish holiday of Purim.

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Miriam Udel is an associate professor in German Studies and Tam Institute of Jewish Studies at Emory University. She’s also the author of “Honey on the Page,” an anthology of children’s literature. She joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to speak about stories for Purim, a Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman.

Interview Highlights:

Miriam Udel is an associate professor at Emory University. (Courtesy of Miriam Udel)

The Story of Purim

“This is a story that is recounted in the scroll of Esther, which is part of the later books of the Bible. It is a story of a genocidal plot that is very narrowly averted when a foolish king falls under the influence of a wicked advisor, who wants to exterminate the Jews in the large kingdom of Persia. It is through the bravery and wisdom of a young Jewish woman named Esther working and taking some advice from her uncle Mordecai that she is able to foil this plot and save the Jewish people.”