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The Megillah Project

Between Gender and National Identity

The Megillah Project: leading Jewish thinkers reflect on the Book of Esther
Dr. Orit Avnery is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute and a graduate of the Hartman Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, where she received ordination in 2018. She is a lecturer in Bible and Dean of Students at Shalem College, and holds both a BA and an MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She received her PhD in Bible Studies from Bar-Ilan University, where her dissertation was entitled

Between Gender and National Identity

The Book of Esther is traditionally read on the holiday of Purim. In synagogues, it often chanted to a special melody and read from a scroll—megillah is the Hebrew word for scroll—and even though there are other scrolls, Jews often refer to The Book of Esther as “The Megillah.” The Book of Esther is indeed a unique text in the canon of Jewish literature, opening its content to multiple interpretations. We have gathered here a collection of perspectives on this rich text, bringing together scholars, rabbis, artists, teachers, poets, and readers to shed light on The Book of Esther from a wide variety of disciplines and sources of knowledge.

The Megillah Project consists of more than 30 videos, each offering a unique perspective on Judaism and plagues and showcasing the variety of ways that Jews have thought the Book of Esther.

The Megillah Project collaboration between BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change, Judaism Unbound, 929 English, The Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, and jewishLIVE

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