Celebrating Purim I Am Woman Hear Me Roar!

Helen Ready’s 1971 women’s liberation anthem, “I Am Woman Hear Me Roar,” comes to mind when I think of Purim. Remember Esther? The Purim story honors Esther, the heroine of the story.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish kids dressed up in costumes in the neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, a few days before the Jewish holiday of Purim, March 12, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

An abbreviated Purim tale informs us how Mordechai (Esther’s cousin who raised her after she was orphaned), refused to bow to Haman, who held a high-ranking position in King Ahasuerus’ court. As a religious Jew, Mordechai would only bow to God. Haman was incensed and set out to rid the land of Jews. What else is new?

Esther had become the Queen but had hidden the fact that she was Jewish from her husband the king, because in Persia at the time it was not safe to be Jewish. With tears in my heart, even in the United States in 2025 and throughout the world, it isn’t safe to be Jewish today either. When will the nightmare of Jew-hatred end?

Haman issued a decree, as described in the Book of Esther, which ordered the destruction, plundering of all possessions, killing, and annihilation of all Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the 13th day of the 12th month (Adar). Does that sound to you like what Hamas probably released secretly to their teams of savages prior to October 7, 2023?

Haman had erected gallows to hang Mordechai. Esther approaches her husband and tells him that Haman’s plans to kill all the Jews would include her, because she is Jewish. King Ahasuerus ironically hangs Haman on the gallows Haman had built for Mordechai.

Another sad chapter in the history of the Jews. True it had a happier ending than expected, but really, when will enough ever be enough?

Let me take this in another direction to bask in the glory that is woman. Given the festering continued inequality of women in 2025 society, recapped in my Times of Israel Blog, “What Are You Refusing to See in Front of Your Face?” I needed a boost celebrating our gender. Don’t you, ladies? How about you fellas? Not the guys reading this saying, huh? But the ones who realize women’s lagging societal equality hurt us all.

Recently, I traveled to New York for business and pleasure. The business side was that Zafra Lerman (someone I’ve interviewed a couple times over the years on PEACE with Penny) invited me to attend the ceremony where she was receiving the International Advocate for Peace Award. I believe Zafra is a female Einstein. The breath of her intelligence and creativity is stupefying and mingling amidst people who were there to celebrate her was an additional honor of its own kind. Guests were from all facets of intelligentsia whether it was Martin Chalfie, a 2008 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry or David Garfinkle, the famous Broadway producer. I was like a kid in a candy store, each new conversation was a delicious bite into exploring a new world, sans adding any pounds to my girlish figure. O.K., let me reminisce about that time long ago.

Martin Chalfie Nobel Prize 2008

Marty gets it. He suggested to me that I should interview Mary-Claire King, another scientist who was the first to show that breast cancer can be inherited due to mutations in the gene called BRCA1 and BRCA2, as well as many other impressive contributions to humanity. We are all indebted to her whether we realize it or not. Mary-Claire King, like Zafra Lerman has a huge depth of accomplishments in human rights work as well. I was bowled over and I am looking forward to interviewing Ms. King for PEACE with Penny, too.

Zafra and I also will be sitting down in April for a third interview on PEACE with Penny. Zafra is Israeli and I wanted to catch up since our last interview in August 2024 on her thoughts about the war since October 7th, being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the 7th time, how her book tour is going, and how she felt adding the International Advocate for Peace Award to her collection of 50 honors she’s been awarded. I’ll let you know when it’s published.

The additional pleasurable part of my trip was getting together with my dear friend, Catherine. You know, the kind of friend that you may not see often, (she’s on the East coast, I’m on the West), but you just pick up where you left off last time? We met in 1985, and she worked in H/R and also was fairly new to Arrowhead Drinking Water (a company that later became a division of Perrier) and I was hired as an Accounting Manager. She did my “onboarding” into the company and so began our forty-year friendship.

For many years she has lived in Connecticut, and I asked her to choose some activities she has been hearing about in the “City,” and we’d go play. As I thought about our journeys through the years, one thing that never changed was that we both bite into a project and refuse to let go until it’s finished. Her adventures are private, but the thought brought a smile to my face, we still are kindred spirits.

Catherine suggested some interesting adventures like Luna, Luna, a creative explosion of colorful art meets Cirque de Soleil and a trip to The Met, but I did make one request which she graciously honored. I wanted to attend services at Central Synagogue. This was a favor on one-hand since she’s not Jewish, and a new experience on the other. While I knew that she had attended at least one Bat Mitzvah because she attended mine which I did as an adult, this might be a different type of service and indeed it was.

What helped create my drive for women’s equality is that I’m old enough to have been raised by parents who still believed an oft quoted stinging expression, “Girls you have all their lives, boys only until they take a wife.” The underlying impression was that you must treat your boys with special care, you will only have them with you for a brief time, but the girls will always be around so…fill in the blank as you believe. I acknowledge not everyone’s experiences nor perspectives are the same. Combined with the old-fashioned thought that only boys needed a bar mitzvah, well here I am living proof that when we finally can, us ladies say, well you know the expression I’m trying hard not to use.

Along my journey, I’ve met Michael Hunter Ochs, a multi-platinum and award-winning songwriter of pop, film, tv, and Jewish music which particularly resonates with me. I’m sure you’re not surprised. I’ve written about him many times. Two of my favorites are “A New Year,” written for the Jewish New Year yet equally relevant for the first of January of any year, and “A Song for Healing (Refuah Shlema),” where the only words in Hebrew, Refuah Shlema is a wish for complete healing. The sentiment of the song can be understood by anyone who speaks English and to me always sounds like a warm hug that you’re being given when you need it most.

Michael also is a Peace activist, and his passion project is with his Palestinian partner Alaa Alshaham. They have an album about Peace called “The Pursuit of Harmony,” and give speaking tours together. So, you see, we are connected by the heart. Thanks for the hug, Michael!

Life can be stressful. I feel like my life’s work is Peace starting internally, then in the Middle East, and finally, everywhere. It can be a bit challenging in the best of times, let alone during war. Seems like a series of contradictions, doesn’t it? But it’s not. The wonderful Peace organizations I interview on PEACE with Penny continue their work even during a horrific war.

Perhaps Hashem (God) felt after a couple recent Times of Israel Blogs that I wrote called, “What Are You Refusing to See in Front of Your Face?” Or my latest about the Bibas family, “When Children Pay the Price Isn’t the Cost Too High?” that I needed a hug…what do their parents, friends, an entire nation and worldwide Jewry need? Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza, thirty-five are known to be dead, and twenty-four remain alive. It’s both sad and infuriating!

The twenty-four hostages presumed to be alive who are still held by Hamas: Top row, from left: Elkana Bohbot, Matan Angrest, Edan Alexander, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel. Second row, from left: Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Bipin Joshi, Rom Braslavski, Ziv Berman, Gali Berman. Third row, from left: Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn. Bottom row, from left: Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Tamir Nimrodi, Pinta Nattapong. (Hostages Families Forum)

Second to last in the bottom row is Tamir Nimrodi. I had met his father Alon, at the very end of last year and I wrote the Times of Israel Blog, “The Blogs: No Matter How Loud Hostage Parents Scream, BRING THEM HOME! The World is Deaf | Penny S. Tee | The Times of Israel
We took the picture below. Alon was on a tour to keep hope and attention alive for returning his son and the other hostages. Tamir didn’t have an easy childhood, he had difficulties in school and fear was his only friend. Can you imagine what being in a hostage situation is like for him? Or as a parent, knowing your child has these difficulties and he’s been held captive all these months under what inhumane conditions? My heart breaks for him, and all the hostages and their families. I was happy to offer my support to Alon, but the juxtaposition of my happy smile against his reserved, turned up corners of his mouth eked out trying to smile that night, still haunts me.

Now 534 days since Tamir was kidnapped, what must Alon and the other hostage families be thinking? Abandoned again by their government, no doubt. Israel has returned to war and the hostages are not back. Again, they must worry if Hamas doesn’t kill their loved ones, accidentally will Israel?

Penny S. Tee and Alon Nimrodi, father of hostage Tamir Nimrodi.

And Edan Alexander, (in the picture above, top row, third from the left) a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier who grew up in the U.S., is one of the hostages still waiting in Gaza. Last week, Hamas said it would release Edan and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to the stalled ceasefire agreement but alas, that didn’t happen and once again missiles are flying from both sides. What happens if Trump’s bluster becomes action? Yes, he’s demanding the release of the hostages, GREAT, but what will he do if they don’t? Will the hostages and their families pay the price?

What does all this have to do with why I wanted to attend Central Synagogue services? On one of the videos of “A New Year,” commissioned with the 92nd Street Y in New York, there are cantors, choirs, and rabbis from all around the world who sing parts of the song. It’s a beautifully written hopeful wish to start the new year whether Jewish, from another faith, or secular.

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, the head rabbi at Central Synagogue who also happens to be a cantor, has a beautiful voice, and leads off the song on the video. I wanted to hear her in person. But this was not to be.

Central Synagogue, New York

When we arrived on Shabbat Saturday, we were told about the lovely service celebrating the 10-year anniversary for Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal, another of Central Synagogue’s ten rabbis on Friday night, and that Rabbi Buchdahl was at that celebration and would not be at our service.

I’ve never attended a service at such a massive temple both in girth and congregation (think something close to Notre Dame complete with the stained-glass windows), and arriving early, I asked a warm congregant about the temple. He informed me that they have 3,500 families, 1,800 on the waitlist, and online there can be as many as12,000 people listening. Now there will be 12,001:-) On YouTube they have 60.3K subscribers from around the world!

I’m not leaving our temple that we’ve been at for twenty-four years, but I always enjoy learning, and being exposed to more of their style of worship and learning has been a treat ever since, and I continued to enjoy more online.

Central Synagogue Sanctuary

Central Synagogue just released an album called, Sing a Little More. I didn’t expect to encounter Debbie Friedman’s variation of the “Shema/V’ahavta” on the album. Her melodies are intimately woven into my life beginning from my B’nai Brith Girls (B.B.G.) days as a teenager where I learned more along my journey about what it was to be a Jew—both how hard it is at times, as well as the beauty of our ethics and the requirement of Tzedakah, the moral obligation of charity.

All proceeds from the album will be donated to Concerts in Motion, a non-profit organization bringing concert experiences to older audiences, low-income communities and more with high-quality and engaging music programs, bringing joy and connection to over 25,000 people each year. Kol Hakavod!

At this point in my life, I understand that everything happens for a reason. I turned to Catherine and said that I looked forward to discovering the reason for the confusion regarding attending Saturday vs. Friday.

It didn’t take long. We were informed that, “Today is International Women’s Day.” The service was a true celebration of women from the clergy to the content. I noted that both the rabbi and cantorial intern who has a beautiful voice, were both women. Amen. Don’t worry fellas, there’s plenty of testosterone floating amongst Central Synagogue’s clergy, but what can I say, I rejoice that their senior rabbi, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl is a woman with a unique background and impressive credentials. She is both a rabbi and cantor and the first woman to lead the Central Synagogue in their 175-year history.

Her father is Jewish, and her mother is Korean. Rabbi Buchdahl was raised Jewish. The light of her soul shines brightly and I have been struck by her intelligence, warmth and humor as I listen online.

Reading about her on the Central Synagogue website it says, “Born in Korea to a Jewish American father and a Korean Buddhist mother, Rabbi Buchdahl is the first Asian American to be ordained as a cantor or rabbi in North America. Prior to her service at Central Synagogue, Rabbi Buchdahl served as Associate Rabbi/Cantor at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York.

Rabbi Buchdahl has been nationally recognized for her innovations in leading worship, which draw large crowds both in the congregation’s historic Main Sanctuary and via livestream and cable broadcast to viewers in more than 100 countries.

Rabbi Buchdahl has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the Today Show, NPR, and PBS and was listed as one of Newsweek’s “America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis.” She serves on the boards of the AJC, the Asia Society, the New York Board of Rabbis, and the Yale University President’s Council.

She also is an activist and in this picture below she was protesting that the hostages were still not home at a demonstration in Central Park.

Embed from Getty Images

The emphasis on speaking about the Book of Esther a few days before Purim strongly resonated with me. The nuances of how Esther spoke with the king as only a woman would, spoke to me as well.

During the past month, I’ve learned how much more we must accomplish to achieve gender pay equality. According to the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, waiting another 134 years to obtain gender pay equality at the current rate of progress seems absurd. The continued wage gap between men and women is not just a crack in the system—it’s a gaping hole of injustice that we’ve been patching with empty promises for far too long.

What comes to mind on the one hand is the Virginia Slims cigarette commercial line, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” And it’s true we have. It was part of a 1968 advertising campaign aimed at celebrating women’s progress and independence while promoting the brand. It’s an iconic phrase that still resonates in popular culture.

If you notice, we’ve also learned over the years that smoking kills, and at this slow rate of progress everyone reading this will be long dead by the time salaries are equal. These results miss the mark, to use a Yom Kippur expression. Shame on society for tolerating injustice for so long and not developing specific plans to bridge the gap expeditiously. O.K. you can take the former female exec out of her position, but her demand for women’s equality will never die.

The Gabe M. Wiener Memorial Organ

I had to laugh when we were going to our seats at the temple, I’ve always put myself toward the front of the audience. As a kid, I knew if you put me at the back of the room, my desire to play would raise its head and I would not pay attention. Today, I think it’s that I have more control over where I go and if I’ve chosen to attend something, I want to fully be there and don’t want to miss anything. For Catherine, not so much, I assume feeling like she was a foreigner in a foreign country. Sorry.

The Jewish guilt hits me in retrospect. Catherine won the Better Friend Award that day. I was a less than gracious hostess and she acquiesced to sitting in front. I assured her, it’s not like they are going to call on you! Um, whoops. Sorry, Catherine. During the service, a handout was passed out and folks were asked to read a bit of the text. Of course, because we were sitting in front, guess who had the opportunity to read after me? Afterwards of course, I apologized. And her response was as simple as it was profound, delivered by a loving friend, “It’s o.k., it was worth it to see you so happy!”

After the services Rabbi Sarah Berman offered to show us the main sanctuary. It’s something not to be missed and we were grateful she took the time.

Rabbi Sarah Berman Showing the Torah Scrolls at Central Synagogue, New York

Several days later on Purim, Central Synagogue, a New York based temple put on a A Very Wicked Purim, Central Synagogue – March 13, 2025. It was a Broadway extravaganza of the story of Purim. I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering their grandeur and the fact they are located less than a mile from Broadway, but Wow! Check out the video above, with Rabbi Buchdahl starring as Elphaba, Rabbi Berman as Nessarose, Senior Cantor Mutlu playing Fiyero, and the rest of the clergy and congregant participants including the kids who played the remaining characters. Rabbi Berman must have rolled her eyes when this California girl asked if she was alright, given the fact she was in a wheelchair in the spiel and I asked if she had hurt herself since I met her. Oy, she assured me it was just the character of Nessarose and it gave me an unintended reminder like everyone else these days, we need to get away from our computers more often, or even just away from even what we love, to take a break : )

Rabbi Micah Becker Klein was our guest rabbi at our temple and he presented an interactive reading of the Megillah (Purim Story in the Book of Esther) which was lots of fun called, “The Lost Sounds of the Megillah – Abridged.” (Move the start to 10 minutes and it also is about 1:10 minutes).

Rabbi Micah Becker Klein, “The Lost Sounds of the Megillah”

Rabbi Micah Becker Klein is very energetic and ready for fun. The reading seemed a bit like the Blues Brothers meets Purim : ) Haman’s name was met with the traditional grogger spinning and boos. We were instructed to make the raspberries sound when King Ahasuerus’ name was mentioned, Esther: Go Girl!, Mordchai: A Jew! A Jew! As if sneezing, Vashti: What?

The rabbi carried a particularly decorated and large grogger that I couldn’t help but think again of the differences between men and women, with men’s obsession about size as well as flatulence. Must they be proud of everything they do no matter what age?

Our time together was energetic, audacious and fun.

Kol Hakavod to both synagogues. Who knows what next year will bring?

Hopefully, someday I’ll finally meet and hear Rabbi Buchdahl sing in person : )

May You Live in Peace, שלום and سلام.