Source: National Library of Israel
Purim is an exciting and colourful festival, as are the primary sources that give evidence to the different aspects of the day. This resource pack prepared by the National Library of Israel contains a wonderful Megillah that was read in the seventeenth century, photographs of children and even a street in fancy dress, a Purim plate used for Mishloah Manot (gifts of food to friends and family), and posters advertising Purim balls and contests. It also includes a video clip and activity suggestions.
Purim student activity:
At the heart of the Purim activities is the reading of the Megillah – the Book of Esther. The Megillah tells the dramatic story of the Jews of Shushan the capital of Persia who were saved from a massacre due the actions of the Jewish Queen Esther. The Megillah, that is written by a scribe on parchment, is often illustrated with traditional decorations and drawings of the events recou nted in the book. The National Library of Israel has a unique collection of Megillot. One of the oldest of the NLI collection is from Ferrara in Italy, made in 1616. Other illustrated Megillot from our collection come from Venice, Prague, Berlin and Holland.
Explore Online Megillot:
Choose one of these online Megillot. Then fill in the table with information about the illustrations on the Megillot.
Create your own Megillah!
After exploring Megillot from the NLI collections and other sources, the time has come to create your own!
- Choose a scene from the Purim story: for example , choosing the Queen, Mordechai parading on the King’s horse, etc.
- Create a page of the Megillah with online tools or arts and crafts.
Send your finished Megillah page to the National Library of Israel and we will publish the best works on our website.