The purim-shpil

is a skit or monologue that is performed, usually in the vernacular, in a domestic setting at the festive Purim family meal. It has developed continuously from the 15th century (or earlier) until the present - a testimony to its central role in Jewish culture.

This Purim, our celebrations might have gone online, but the institution of the Purim-shpil remains.

Read more: https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Purim-shpil#

Photo: A Purim-shpil in Vilna (Vilnius) before the Holocaust, courtesy of USHMM

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