Special Purim commemorations give us a unique look into the history of Jewish communities worldwide. They remind us how Purim is not only about one event, but about continued survival of our people. They make us remember and connect our history together.

Over the years, I have visited three Holocaust concentration camps: Bergen-Belsen in Germany and Auschwitz and its partner death camp Birkenau in Poland.

For me, Judaism means standing up for the underdog, it means fighting oppression, it means appreciating freedom and means seeking peace.

In Israel, the secular New Year is called Sylvester after St. Sylvester, a notorious 4th century anti-Semitic whose saint day falls on December 31.