Hamenstashen for Purim
20.05.12
Twelve bakers on the Congregation Beth Ami’s kitchen committee have been busy for weeks, making more than 1,000 traditional kosher hamentashen for the celebration of Purim that starts on Wednesday.
Their sweet pastries will play a role in the joyous holiday that celebrates the deliverance of Jewish people in Persia from destruction at the hands of a villain named Hamen. They are the main gift in baskets given to congregation members and help add to the holiday’s festive tone.
Purim is celebrated during a full moon in spring, with treats and sweets like hamentashen given to friends and family. Everyone wears funny costumes. Some consider the Purim holiday a mirror image of Halloween because of the costumes, while others liken it to Mardi Gras.
“A lot of the history has been lost in the darkness of antiquity,” Rabbi Joel Rembaum says. “The Talmud, the ancient compilation of Jewish law, tradition and tales, describes it as a time when people could become very silly and have a good time.
Source: Santa Rosa Press Democrat