Purim Resources from SRE Network Members
Each year, as the Megillah is read aloud in communities around the world, Purim is celebrated as a joyful commemoration of Jewish survival. At the same time, the Purim story is a complex narrative about power, sexism, misogyny, oppression, authoritarianism, and the urgency of finding the courage required to create change. Through Esther’s bravery and Vashti’s refusal, we are reminded of the enduring importance of women’s voice and agency, bold leadership, and collective responsibility to build communities rooted in dignity, safety, and belonging.
At SRE, we ask: "what we can learn from this story to strengthen Jewish workplaces today, and foster cultures where every person can lead authentically and be supported by cultures of respect and accountability?"
Below is a curated collection of resources and learnings from SRE Network member organizations reflecting on the complicated themes of Purim and the women at the center of it. We are deeply grateful for their partnership and leadership in advancing this work.
Chag Purim Sameach!
P.S. Have a resource or event to add to this collection? Email allison@srenetwork.org.
Events
- Thursday, February 26 – Purim HerTorah: Living In an Upside Down World (Svivah)
- Sunday, March 1 –DJJ and T'Chiyah Present: Purim 2026! (Detroit Jews for Justice)
Guides
- Purim Social Action Guide (URJ)
- Purim Podcast Discussion Guide (JWA's guide to Can We Talk? Power and Gender in the Megillah)
- Purim Survival Guide for When Your Heart Hurts (I Was Supposed to Have a Baby)
- Rethinking Purim Guide: A Modern Commentary on Relationships (JWI's Clergy Task Force)
- Safeguarding Tips for Purim (Sacred Spaces)
- Shabbat Discussion Guide - Agunah Awareness, centered around V’Esther Lo Higidah: The Cost of Silence (ORA)
Reflections & Learnings
- Blessing for the Month of Adar by Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld (Hebrew College)
- Out in Purim: Living Our Jewish and Queer Lives Proudy this Purim by Rabbi Steve Greenberg (Eshel)
- Purim: A Story of Gender Bias and Sexism by Helene Debowsky (WRJ)
- Purim Reader: Reexamining the Megillah: A Gendered Perspective (Maharat)
- Esther, Queen of Theater by Yehudit Mazur-Shlomi
- The Power of Amplified Women’s Voices by Ilana Gimpelevich
- Uplifting Unnamed Women by Rabbi Naima Hirsch Gelman
- Purim Sermon (Shalom Bayit)
- Queen Esther: A Purim Heroine
- Reclaiming the Purim Narrative for Queen Vashti and Queen Esther by Sheila Katz
- What Queen Esther Taught Me (by Talia Makowsky, Keshet)
- JWA Encylopedia Learnings: Esther and Vashti
- JWI's #IAmVashti Campaign Essays
- #IAmVashti by Meredith Jacobs
- Crime Warning-Sexual Assault: What Vashti Teaches Us About Consent by Rabbi Andrea Steinberger
- Esther and Vashti: Let’s Hear Both Their Voices by Rabbi Ben Greenberg
- Vashti Exposed by Rabbi Nicole Roberts
- Masks People Wear on Purim (I Was Supposed to Have a Baby)
- Who Knows: Humility and Hope in the Story of Purim By Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld
Podcasts & Webinars
- Can We Talk? Miriam Anzovin on Power and Gender in the Megillah (JWA Podcast)
- Just for This with Rabbi Lea Mühlstein — We Are All Esther (Podcast from Rabbi Liz Hirsch, CEO of WRJ)
- Stepping Up When It's Hard: SVIVAH Purim HerTorah: Lessons from Esther For Us Today (Svivah)
Activities & Action Steps
- Joyous Purim: Simple Actions for LGBTQ+ Belonging (Keshet)
- Masks of Authenticity: A Purim Activity (Keshet)
- The Masks We Wear, Purim Reflection Cards (Jewtina)
- Purim Programming Ideas (WRJ)
- Purim Ritual (Shalom Bayit)
Thank you for all you do to advance gender equity and build workplaces grounded in belonging. We are so grateful to be in partnership with you.
For more resources to support your organization's gender equity journey, click here.
SRE Network mobilizes Jewish organizations to advance gender equity and cultivate inclusive workplaces and communal spaces where all individuals can thrive and drive change. We envision a Jewish communal landscape where safety, respect, and equity are lived realities, every individual belongs, and organizations thrive.