Purim: Transformation of the role of the holiday in the life of Belgrade Jewish community

Abstract

The focus of this research is on the function of the holiday Purim in the life of Belgrade Jewish community. In diachronic perspective we are looking at general and local characteristics of the holiday, and different levels of its celebration (private, public sphere). In the studied community this holiday has undergone a transformation from a religious to a secular feast followed by revitalization of its religious context. This paper analyzes the mechanisms of various levels of recovery and conceptualization of this holiday, on the institutionalized level and in the form of spontaneous personal initiatives. We are looking at different functions of this holiday in broad social context and their diachronic changes. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177027: Multietnicitet, multukulturalizam, migracije savremeni procesi]

Keywords

• Purim
• Jews
• Belgrade Jewish community
• holiday revitalization
• Serbia