This is a humorous death notice announcing the death of Haman, the villain from the biblical book of Esther. The sign follows the design and format of death notices that are commonly posted in religious neighbourhoods but is adapted to ridicule Haman. While such notices are usually written with respect and expressions of sadness, this sign describes celebration and disparages the deceased. Through the list of mourners, the sign also makes a political statement by connecting Adolph Hitler, Adolf Eichmann, Yasser Arafat, and Saddam Hussein to Haman, who is the prototypical enemy of the Jewish people. From the request for the archaeologists to remove Haman’s body, one can conjecture that the publishers of the notice belong to Neturei Karta, the sect who are known to demonstrate against the desecration of graves during archaeological excavations. The title of the sign, “Blessed Be the Good and Beneficent” is a play on the blessing that is said upon hearing good news, “Good for me and Good for Others.”
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Purim - Purim is celebrated on the 14 Adar as the day the Jewish people were saved from destruction during the fourth century BCE. The heroine of the Purim story, Queen Esther, worked together with her uncle, Mordechai, to reverse the decree of genocide issued against the Jewish people by Haman, the vizier of Persia. It is the tradition on Purim to dress up in costumes, distribute small food packages known as mishloach manot, give charity, and listen to the reading of the Megilla – the Book of Esther.
Pashkavils - Pashkavils are a genre of posters found in ultra-Orthodox communities for conveying a wide and varied range of messages. The language used on the posters often contains internal codes that people within the community immediately understand. These codes are often allusions to traditional Jewish literature, such as the phrase “The Nation as a Wall” that refers to the ultra-Orthodox seclusive ideology. The posters deal with topical issues within the ultra-Orthodox community. One of the most prevalent issues is the challenge of preserving the boundaries of tradition and social values while living in modern Israel.
