Jews around the world just finished celebrating Purim. The Book of Esther tells us that the on the 13th of the month of Adar, Haman’s plan to annihilate the Jews was approved by King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), but the opposite happened:
“On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.”
The reason for this holiday, according to the biblical account, is not vindictive jubilation. Rather, it is because on the 14th of Adar “Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.” This historic event that took place some 2,400 years ago still plays in today’s politics.
In his recent visit to Russia, Prime Minister Netanyahu reminded President Putin that “in ancient Persia, there was an attempt to wipe out the Jews, which did not succeed.” Iran is the heir of Persia, and, therefore, there is a direct link between Ahasuerus’ willingness to annihilate the Jews and present day Iran’s desire to wipe out the Jewish state.
For his part, Putin insisted there was no basis for such a link. But the Iranians were not offended by the link drawn by Netanyahu. Rather, they were upset by the assertion that the Persian king had planned to kill all the Jews in his kingdom.
Reacting to Netanyahu, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, Ali Larijani, said that Netanyahu “has distorted the Iranians’ pre-Islam historical era and attempted to misrepresent events.
Similarly, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif tweeted that Netanyahu is selling “bigoted lies against a nation which has saved Jews 3 times.” According to Zarif, King Xerxes I, Cyrus, and Iran during WW2 saved Jews, rather than kill them.
Originally posted at Israel Today Magazine.
