feature story
Unmasking THE
ORIGINS OF
The Philadelphia-based
Solis-Cohen family at their
Purim party, circa 1890
24 Purim
MARCH 10, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE staff



BACKGROUND: FILIPEFRAZAO / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS; COURTESY OF TEMPLE BETH ZION-BETH ISRAEL
A hot dog, an emoji and Superman
walk into a synagogue — and there’s
no punchline. It’s the reality for Allan
Rosenblatt, owner of Purim Mega Store
in Brooklyn.

Every year, Rosenblatt sells hundreds of costumes,
which he sees donned by the children at his synagogue,
riding their Hamantaschen sugar highs and giving
grown-ups headaches with their graggers.

Purim Mega Store is only open for a couple months
every year — much like the secular Spirit Halloween
stores that crop up all over the country come Oct. 1
— and the two Sundays leading up to the 14th of Adar
(this year, March 16-17) are his busiest.

“I can’t even begin to tell you — there’s hundreds of
costumes,” Rosenblatt said.

But Purim has not always had themes of costumes
and merriment interwoven in its traditions, and
the introduction of costumes to the holiday was not
without controversy.

Th e fi rst mention of the use of costumes to celebrate
Purim was by Rabbi Yehuda Minz, a 15th century
Italian rabbi who made the argument that costume-
wearing, even crossdressing, is permissible because it
serves the purpose of creating joy, according to Ori
Z. Soltes, professor at Georgetown University’s
Center for Jewish Civilization.

Others speculate that the wearing of costumes
on Purim coincided with and was inspired by
the medieval Catholic tradition of dressing
up on Mardi Gras, said Rabbi Shlomo
Brody, author of “Guide to the Complex:
Contemporary Halakhic Debates” and
founding director of the Tikvah Overseas
Student Institute.

“Sometimes you adapt religious meaning to broader
customs that fi t the holiday as well,” Brody said of the
costume-wearing. “I don’t think it would have been if
it didn’t fi t with the holiday, but it could have just been
a coincidence.”
Scholars agree that the story and themes of Purim
lend themselves to costuming. In addition to general
revelry felt during the holiday, examples of being hidden
or disguised are replete in the Purim megillah: For
much of the Purim story, Esther does not disclose her
Jewish identity to King Ahasuerus or Haman; Haman
conceals his plot to kill Mordechai. Purim is also one
of the few Jewish stories where God does not make an
explicit appearance.

Dressing up for Purim also aided in fulfi lling the
Purim mitzvah of matanot l’evyonim, giving directly
to the poor. With everyone masking their faces or
dressing in disguise, those in need could maintain
their dignity and not disclose their identity, but still
receive direct aid from others.

Today, mishloach manot, Purim baskets, are given
to everyone as a way to prevent those in need from
disclosing their socioeconomic position.

In the 17th century, Purim spiels developed, and the
use of not only costumes, but allegory, served to create
a sense of “comedic catharsis,” Soltes explained.

While the Purim spiel traditionally tells the story of
Purim, it also draws heavily on the political topics of the
day and popular culture. When Jews in Europe were
not able to overtly criticize Christian hegemony, spiels
allowed them to express their grievances publically,
without drawing the attention of their oppressors.

“We’re making fun of these bastards who are treating
us so poorly, but we’re doing it in a disguised manner,
so they don’t even realize this,” Soltes said.

Th ough costumes have been baked into Purim
traditions for over 600 years, some Jewish thinkers
are reluctant to fully embrace the role of disguises in
the holiday. Dissenting from Rabbi Minz’s opinion,
20th century Rabbi Ovadya Yosef urged Jews to
avoid crossdressing and other costumes that
could be seen as debaucherous. Shmuel
Abuhab, a 17th century Italian scholar,
believed costumes detracted from the
joy of the holiday.

Brody said that ultimately, the
argument against costumes on
Purim came from the fear that
Purim was becoming more
associated with frivolity than
Jewish resistance and the
lessons made available from the
Purim story.

Costumes Costume contest participants at Temple Beth
Zion-Beth Israel’s 2020 Purim celebration, just
days before the first wave of pandemic restrictions
Courtesy of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel
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