Slog - Comments on Today is the Jewish Fat Tuesday http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday Today is Purim, a.k.a. the Jewish Drinking Holiday! Lots of people don't even know that Jews have a drinking holiday ala St. Patty's Day (fucking amateur night, if you ask me). Here's what it's all about: Jewish exiles from the Kingdom of Judah who had been living in the Babylonian captivity (6th Century BCE) found themselves under Persian rule after Babylonia was in turn conquered by the Persian Empire. According to the Book of Esther, Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus / Xerxes, planned to kill the Jews, but his plans were foiled by Esther, who was made queen after... Copyright 2008 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:42:30 -0800 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:40:30 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by kerri harrop Although I come from a long line of Catholics, I gotta back you up on this Ari. Purim KICKS ASS. In fact, pretty much all the Jewish holidays are super fun. But, I think you get drunker on Passover, what with Elijah's wine and all.

]]> kerri harrop http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975545 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975545 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:51:26 -0800 Comment by Catalina Vel-DuRay According to Grandpaw McCain, this is the Jewish Halloween. Senator Lieberman had to correct him. It was very cute.

]]> Catalina Vel-DuRay http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975558 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975558 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:00:37 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle KLEZMER ROCKS!

Seriously, nothing like getting wasted and dancing till you drop on Klezmer ...

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975579 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975579 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:09:09 -0800 Comment by kid icarus Countdown to Issur... 3...2...

]]> kid icarus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975584 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975584 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:12:15 -0800 Comment by Michigan Matt (soon to be Balt-o-matt) I'm eating a poppy seed hamentaschen (sp? Feh, I'm a goy) as I type!

]]> Michigan Matt (soon to be Balt-o-matt) http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975593 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975593 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:14:50 -0800 Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty Funny. I was in Miami Beach a while ago during Passover. In case you've never been there, Miami Beach is very, very Jewish. They literally shut the entire town down during Seder. You haven't lived until you try to get to your 40th-floor hotel room and find out that the elevators are shut off. No joke.

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975597 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975597 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:18:16 -0800 Comment by kebabs Plus, it's the subject of the most recent Christopher Guest movie.

]]> kebabs http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975613 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975613 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:34:53 -0800 Comment by nbc It's been said before but it's worth repeating: Xerxes was a total douche.

]]> nbc http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975629 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975629 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:50:49 -0800 Comment by kinaidos I bet if you took a poll in middle America, a large majority of respondents would believe Purim is a laundry detergent.
The Irish have a much better drinking holidsy, not St Patrick's day, but the clever indexical holiday known as Today.

]]> kinaidos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975651 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975651 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:15:19 -0800 Comment by six shooter Try as you might, cake walks, costume parties, noise makers, and bean-bag tosses do not a St. Patrick's Day make.

Sorry Kerri, but only a goyish shlemil would say "pretty much all the Jewish holidays are super fun."

]]> six shooter http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975663 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975663 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:36:16 -0800 Comment by umvue @6 makes me think Career Opportunity. Mom used to earn coin as a kid by flipping light switches for some of her lower east side neighbors.

]]> umvue http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975667 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975667 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:42:20 -0800 Comment by Irena Whatever. Jewish guys are hotter than Irish guys! Just that word--"Manischewitz"--makes me swoon.

]]> Irena http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975710 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975710 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:12:15 -0800 Comment by Catalina Vel-DuRay Irena dear, while I agree that Jewish men are hot, I don't share your enthusiasm for Manischewitz. Almost all Kosher wine, apart from some very high-end labels, are nasty.

]]> Catalina Vel-DuRay http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975718 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975718 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:18:05 -0800 Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty Oh, a New Yawka, eh? (or, as the natives these days call it, Nueva Jork). Go Red Sox! (Former New Englander here.)

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975722 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975722 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:21:34 -0800 Comment by sneezer Where can you buy a hamantash in Seattle? Yummy apricot hamantashen are one of the few things I miss about living in the Bronx.

]]> sneezer http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975761 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975761 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:38:35 -0800 Comment by Abby I'm with you, Sneezer. I want hamantashen. Really badly.

]]> Abby http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975789 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975789 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:36:57 -0800 Comment by kerri harrop @10: I'm not just a Goy, but also an Irish Catholic. I come from a family where booze had to be banned at family functions, after a riotous celebration of my grandparents' 40th anniversary ended with 4 cop cars, brothers fighting in the street, and one hospital visit.

I know my boozy holidays. And I stand by my words: Jewish holidays are super fun. They drink and talk shit with the best of the Micks. Maybe you aren't kicking it with the right Jews?

]]> kerri harrop http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975797 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975797 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:45:48 -0800 Comment by Abby Passover is pretty awesome at my family, as is Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur after the fasting is done and we can all have bagels. There is a lot of drinking and talking shit.

I'm sad they're all in Denver now. Less people to have a seder with here.

]]> Abby http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975840 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975840 Nightlife Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:08:09 -0800 Comment by Sirkowski So the Jews were allied with the bad guy from that Spartans movie? It's a conspiracy!

]]> Sirkowski http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975936 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c975936 Nightlife Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:41:34 -0800 Comment by Juris is this the holiday where the torah instructs one to drink until you can't tell left hand from right? Or one certain letter from another? How's that go? Best religious instruction ever.

]]> Juris http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c976367 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c976367 Nightlife Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:15:33 -0800 Comment by Zack @20
Correct, but not the Torah. Purim is not actually in the Torah

]]> Zack http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c976398 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/today_is_the_jewish_fat_tuesday#c976398 Nightlife Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:40:30 -0800