Purim pranks

Pranks during Purim

Purim pranks are pranks pulled during the celebration of Purim, an element of Purim humor.[1]

Some Purim pranks may be insulting and even harmful. There is a scholarship on what Halakha says on whether harm, insult (lashon hara), or injury – whether physical (towards property or a person) or verbal – are admissible in the course of Purim pranks or jokes.[2][3] There are various interpretations, however Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon comes to a conclusion that insults and minor physical harm are admissible as long they are sincere expressions of joy of mitzva and the harmful acts were not of evil intention; this kind of humor must be used with caution. Purim jokes are for the joy of mitzva, not for just jesting.[2] Purim spiels may include a good deal of insults and foul language directed both at biblical characters and modern real persons.[1][2]

## Notable public Purim pranks

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In early December of 2023 posts were circulating in the media that Mick Jagger announced planning a concert of Rolling Stones in Israel. Reuters suggested that the rumors appear to be based on a February 24, 2013 spoof article at The Jewish Press website,[4] which at the bottom said: "This has been a Purim prank...".[5]

On February 24, 2021 (a day before Purim that year), The Jerusalem Post tweeted[6] that Benjamin Netanyahu could not get hold of Joe Biden for a month because the latter gave him a wrong number which replied "Hello, this is not the person you were trying to call. You’ve reached the rejection hotline. Unfortunately the person who gave you this rejection hotline number did not want you to have their real number."[7]

In March 2019 Esther Voet, a columnist of a respected Dutch Jewish weekly NIW announced that she was moving to Israel, where "getting called a dirty Jew simply means I have to take a bath", complaining about the rise of anti-Semitism in the country. Later she announced that it was a Purim prank, but not earlier than her announcement made waves and she received notes of condolence and wishes of good luck from one camp and "good riddance" from the other.[8]

In March 2017, one of the annual Purim pranks pulled by the officials of the town of Psagot went too far: the social media got ahold of a letter on local official stationery that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump would be visiting the town for Shabbos and Kushner would be delivering a dvar Torah in the local synagogue. Hundreds of people from the nearby places phoned the residents of Psagot to ask for a stay during the event, while leftist groups started arranging buses with protesters.[9]

March 2014:

* The Jerusalem Post published a spoof article on how Israel, who didn’t even qualify for the 2014 World Cup (and which didn't even start yet), won the trophy.[10]

* The Dutch media was hoaxed by news of Barack Obama planning to visit the Amsterdam office of the Dutch Jewish Welfare Organization (JMW). After realizing the scale of the commotion the joke caused, the authors, Jonet.nl, and JMW, issued a public apology.[11]

* The Forward reported on the previously kept secret speech of George W. Bush to the "Messianic Jewish Bible Institute" about their mission of bringing "Jewish people into a personal relationship of faith with Yeshua the Messiah."[12]

* There were reports about "The Beatles Jewish Period", which included songs, such as "The Shul on the Hill", "Hey Yew", "This Goy", etc.[13]

2010:

* The residents of Bnei Brak fell to the prank pulled by a construction company ZAKA, who announced that oil was about to be drilled there, with posters, equipment, and all, and hinted that the residents would be exempt from local property taxes.[14]
* Ha'aretz made a spoof report that a law was passed by the Knesset to allow for sponsorship messages to be laser-beamed onto the Western Wall for a fee.[15]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Humor. Literary Traditions", YIVO
2. ^ a b c Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon,"Purim Pranks", Yeshivat Har Etzion
3. ^ Yehuda Shurpin, "Does Jewish Law Allow Pranks?", chabad.org
4. ^ Fact Check: Fake Mick Jagger quote about Israel concert is from ‘prank’ article, December 8, 2023
5. ^ Yori Yanover, Defying Boycotts, Jagger, Stones, to Honor Israel’s 65th Birthday, February 24, 2013
6. ^ The Jerusalem Post tweet #Purim #parody
7. ^ "Netanyahu's repeated calls to Biden got directed to ‘rejection hotline’", The Jerusalem Post, February 26, 2021
8. ^ Cnaan Liphshiz, Jewish journalist’s Purim prank about fleeing anti-Semitism shocks Holland, March 19, 2019, Times of Israel
9. ^ Dov Benovadia, "A Purim Prank Too Far? Kushners Weren’t Visiting Psagot, After All", March 19, 2017, Hamodia
10. ^ Purim spoof: Israel overthrows Germany for World Cup title, The Jerusalem Post, March 16, 2014, by "Jroast Sports Staff"
11. ^ Purim hoax has Dutch media looking for Obama in all the wrong places
12. ^ What George W. Bush Really Said to Jews for Jesus, The Forward, March 13, 2014, "By George W. Bush"
13. ^ THE BEATLES: THE JEWISH PERIOD, JTA, March 12, 2014
14. ^ "Israel – Bnei Brak Residents Fall for Purim Prank"
15. ^ Israel Approves Plan to Let Sponsors Beam Messages Onto Western Wall, Ha'aretz, mArch 2, 2010, by "Hurim Pappy, Haaretz Correspondent"

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Purim  (פּוּרִים)

Background|

* Book of Esther
* Esther (in rabbinic literature)
* Haman (in rabbinic literature)
* Mordecai
* Ahasuerus
* Bigthan and Teresh
* Vashti
* Zeresh

Religious
observances|

* Fast of Esther
* Shushan Purim
* Purim HaMeshulash
* Purim Katan
* Second Purim
* Mishloach manot
* Purim costume
* Grager

Purim foods|

* Hamantash
* Fazuelos
* Impade
* Kreplach

Purim humor|

* Adloyada
* Latke–Hamantash Debate
* Pranks
* Purim spiel
* Purim Torah
* Purim rabbi

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