Why Purim is so Special to Hadassah

At the beginning of both the month of March and the Hebrew month of Adar, Hadassah members begin to think of Purim. Hadassah has always had a special connection to Purim, given that Hadassah was established at the time of Purim in 1912 and the fact that the organization took the name, Hadassah, from the heroine of the Purim story. Queen Esther’s Hebrew name is Hadassah.

The Book of Esther, which recounts how a Jewish woman named Esther, who became Queen of Persia, bravely revealed her Jewish identity to the king to thwart a plot by the evil Haman to annihilate all the Jews, ultimately saving the Jewish people from destruction.

Terry Nordin, president of Hadassah Greater Atlanta, states, “I would also like to point out that there may be another strong woman in the Purim story. Queen Vashti also showed considerable courage in refusing to appear before King Achashverosh when he demanded that she appear at his banquet. Queen Vasti’s refusal shows us that it is OK to stand up against something you think is wrong!”

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Upon hearing the reading of the story of Esther, all listeners are encouraged to respond noisily to drown out the name of the evil Haman with our voices or noisemakers.

Simone Wilker, advocacy chair for Southeastern Region of Hadassah, suggests, “This action, of drowning out Haman’s name on Purim, is a reminder to all of us, of the importance of raising our voice to combat evil and bring about change.”