This Sunday, we will celebrate Purim and read the Megillah. The two most famous words in the Megillah are “venahpoch hu - it was reversed,” alluding to the overturning of Haman’s genocidal decree against the Jews. More broadly, these words encapsulate the essence of the Purim miracle when everything was turned upside down.
It was these words that came to mind this week when I read a letter from over 1000 Jewish Hollywood figures, proudly standing up in defense of the Jewish people and steadfastly refusing to renounce or refute their Judaism.
This stands in stark contrast to the actions of three infamous university presidents who couldn't bring themselves to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews.
The irony that there could be more moral clarity and human decency in Hollywood than in today's academia, which clearly suffers from moral decay and ethical erosion, certainly took me by surprise. But then again, if that isn’t an example of “venahpoch hu,” I don’t know what is.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explained that Haman’s genocidal decree had an interesting loophole. If Jews renounced their faith and identity as “Mordecai's people,” Haman would leave them alone. Yet, remarkably, not one Jew even considered the option!
This profound sense of faith and commitment stemmed from Esther, who risked her life to approach the king. Contrary to what may have seemed more rational, popular, or less risky behavior, Esther didn't abandon or refute her Judaism; she stood firm. As Mordechai told her, “If you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will arise for the Jews from elsewhere, and you and your father's household will perish; and who knows whether it was for a time such as this that you ascended to the throne.”
The lesson for us from Esther is clear. When we find ourselves at a crossroads or facing an important decision, where proudly expressing true Jewish values matters most, we must realize that we may have been gifted with our unique set of talents and abilities specifically “for a time such as this.” It might just be the very thing that you or I say or do at that moment, that will prove to be pivotal and alter the course of history. 
Queen Esther requested we read the Megillah on the 14th of Adar. Her wish has been honored by the Jewish people ever since, and the Book of Esther is included in the canon of our sacred texts. Join us on Sunday, March 22nd, the 14th of Adar, and hear the Megillah just as Esther requested.

I recently participated in the signing of a bill that will make it easier for South Dakota law enforcement to hold antisemites accountable. Though anyone can stand in the street and say whatever they’d like, HB1076 makes it easier to protect Jews in our state from hateful conduct. 
If sometime in the future, a Jewish child in South Dakota will be safer and more protected, it will be because of this bill. That is why I wholeheartedly supported it and am grateful to the South Dakota legislature for their overwhelming and bipartisan support, and to Governor Noem for making it a top priority this session.
Will it destroy the haters and completely eradicate antisemitism? Unfortunately not. 
So what, if anything, can be done to stop Jew hatred? Some argue we should be less visible and hide our mezuzahs, megillas and menorahs. Others suggest we need to be less supportive of our brothers and sisters in Israel and that Israel should defend itself less, to pacify and win over the rest of the world. The news and rhetoric today can be frustrating and isolating. 
During the time of the Purim miracle Jews were threatened with genocide by the evil Haman. It all changed when Mordechai met a group of children and asked them what they learned that day, and they began reciting verses of Torah to him.
It was at that moment that Mordechai knew the Jewish people would be okay. When there is proper Jewish education, there are knowledgeable Jews. When there are knowledgeable Jews, there are proud Jews, and where there are proud Jews there is a Jewish future. Incidentally, it was at that moment that Haman also knew that, try as he might, he would not succeed in getting rid of the Jews. 
When it comes to finding a career and making a living, we understand this idea well; if we want our children to succeed we must provide them with an education. We know this for their lifestyle and hobbies too. A parent recently told me they want their child to show an interest in soccer. So they started showing soccer games and championships on their TV screen at home and hope will build an interest in the child to sign up for the neighborhood soccer team. 
The same applies to Jewish identity and lifestyle. When a child can hold a siddur the right way up and read the Torah in its original Hebrew, they will be passionate as a teen and adult to attend services and participate in Torah classes. If they introduce themselves to their college friends as a proud Jew, it will only happen if they've been educated as one.
This is also our best weapon against antisemitism, as we say in the Passover Haggadah “In every generation they rise up to destroy us, but the Torah that has stood by our ancestors and for us, and You (G-d) save us from them.” 
Yes, we must always do what we can to ensure hateful perpetrators are held accountable, but as individual Jews, we can’t forget that the most important thing is to focus on and invest in Jewish education. Imagine what the Jewish community would look like if every dollar spent on educating the world about antisemitism was spent instead on educating Jews about Judaism; Jewish education.
Think about the astonishing fact that you and I are here today as  Jews continuing our 3,500 year old heritage and tradition. Answer these questions to yourself Who are we? What in fact is our heritage and tradition? What makes us Jewish? The “Chosen People”? What is our purpose here on earth? What is our privilege and responsibility as a Jew in 2024?
When we have a good sense of our Jewish identity, we may not be able to change the haters, but we will accomplish something far greater: We will have changed ourselves in ways that the antisemite will no longer be able to instill fear in us as they did before. When we are fully confident and proud of who we are, much of the antisemitism won’t matter anymore.
And if there is indeed any way to change how others look at Jews, this itself might be the best approach after all. In the words of the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, "Non​-​Jews respect ​Jews who respect ​Judaism."

​

We celebrated Purim yesterday, and being able to read the megillah and fulfill the mitzvahs of Purim with such a vibrant and loving community atmosphere was very special.
Why is the Purim megillah named after Esther, the Jewish heroine, Megillat Esther. Why not Megillat Esther and Mordechai? Wasn’t Mordechai also a hero in the story?
Yesterdays, jam packed, fun filled, Purim party, helped me understand one reason why the singular focus on Esther.
Along with 70 others attendees, two Jewish women, mothers of young children, drove their families for several hours to join. Shannon did a 3.5 hour drive from Leola, and Shay drove 5 hours all the way from Rapid City! They did this all to give themselves and their children the opportunity to participate in the Purim celebration.
As a parent of young children myself, I know what a long drive means.
This is what commitment and dedication looks like. This is the power of the Jewish woman. Like Esther in her time, doing whatever it takes to ensure Jewish continuity, with pride and joy… and even a super long drive!

Several weeks ago at our Shabbat experience we played a Jewish trivia game. One of the questions was “what makes someone a Jewish hero today?”
As we went around the table, friends offered a number of suggestions, ranging from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to IDF soldiers, from Ben Shapiro to Bernie Sanders. The ideas literally spanned the spectrum of Jewish thought and politics. But they were all shared with love.  That’s what is so beautiful about our Jewish community. Everyone is welcome, and everyone has a place. It really is mishpacha, family.    
But over the past few weeks I had an idea of another type of Jewish hero: Chaya and Rabbi Avraham Wolf from Odessa. 
One of the organizations they run is the Mishpacha Orphanage where they care for some 150 precious children. With war looming, they desperately tried to obtain the necessary documentation to secure an exit for the children. But to no avail.  
Finally, just over a week ago, after war had already broken out, they got the last birth certificate needed, and over the next few days a convoy of buses left Odessa carrying children, women, and elderly people.  Through a treacherous journey that was documented by the AP, they traveled for more than 50 hours through several countries, until reaching Berlin where they are now.
As the head of the orphanage, Rabbi Wolf accompanied the final bus to leave. 
But once making sure that every child under his responsibility had safely arrived, Avraham did the unthinkable. He got on a train and went straight back to Odessa. He still shoulders the responsibility of those in the Jewish community who can not leave (males between ages 18-60, elderly women and men, and the disabled). 
While others are fleeing from Ukraine, Rabbi Wolf couldn't get back fast enough.
Rabbi Wolf and his wife Chaya are Jewish heroes today.  This may be the story of one couple, but just like one small drop of water can reflect the entire sun in it -- so long as it's clear and facing the sun -- it reflects the good work of the 200+ Chabad Rabbis' their wives and children currently serving the Jews of Ukraine. They are the Jewish heroes of the hour.  
Let us take inspiration from them.
Purim is next week, and while we are living comfortably here in the United States, we are still called upon to be heroes.  Like Mordechai and Esther in their times, and the Jews of Ukraine today, each of us has a unique role to play. 
With prayers for the safety of the people in Ukraine. 

The months of Adar and Nissan are packed with Jewish holidays and history. At Chabad
we strive to ensure that every member of the Jewish community has an opportunity to
participate and feel welcome experiencing our sacred heritage. We look forward to inviting you to our Purim and Passover celebrations.

On Purim we commemorate the overturning of the plot by the wicked King Ahasuerus and his viceroy Hamman to annihilate us. We celebrate by reading Esther’s Megillah, hosting a festive dinner, sharing gifts of food with friends and giving charity to the poor. This year we invite you to join us for a “Purim in the Shtetl ‘’ themed celebration, featuring our own Klezmer band. 

And just four weeks later we will be celebrating Passover. In Jewish homes across the country and around the world, families and friends will gather around the Seder table, the same way we have been doing it for more than 3,500 years since our Exodus from Egypt. It was at that very moment when we became an essentially and completely free people,  with our only subservience being to G-d Himself. Today in America, we are free citizens, able to live as proud Jews. But perhaps we may be confined by our personal Egypts, those barriers, often artificial, that stand between us and our indulging in Jewish experiences. What better way to celebrate this Passover, than by experiencing true Jewish
freedom and committing to do another good mitzvah deed, strengthening the link in our chain of Jewish tradition and ensuring its continuity for future generations.

​The work that we do in South Dakota mirrors what Chabad does in thousands of other centers across America and in another 100+ countries. Just a few weeks ago, world Jewry marked 70 years since the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson assumed to the leadership of the Chabad movement on the 10th of Shevat, 1950.

At the core of his teachings, is the idea that this world is truly G-ds home, and each human being here on earth is personally tasked with making it feel so. In the ensuing seven decades, the Rebbe’s one time radical and urgent message of meaning and moral purpose has become increasingly mainstream.

Today there is not a Jewish community in the world that has not been positively impacted by the Rebbe’s teachings. Even now during the Coronavirus, the only Rabbi still in China, faithfully serving the needs of the local community, Rabbi Sholom Greenberg who together with his wife and children run Chabad in Shanghai.

So as we sit at our Seder tables this year and read the passage of Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarya “I am like 70 years old” let us infuse our life and Jewish observance with the vibrance and meaning the Rebbe began teaching us seventy years ago, allowing us each to fully live our own personal Exodus and even experience a taste of the future redemption.