This is a colourful poster advertising Purim festivities in Tel Aviv from March 5-10, 1955. The bright yellow poster is illustrated with a picture of Haman looking downward with an angry, blue face leading Mordechai on the king’s horse. Mordechai sits proudly on the decorated horse, with a crown on his head. The illustration is based on chapter six of the Book of Esther which relates the episode of King Ahasuerus wishing to reward Mordechai for saving his life. The king’s advisor Haman, not realising that the king is talking about his enemy Mordechai, suggests honouring the man who saved the king’s life by dressing him up in royal garments and leading him through the streets while someone declares, “This is what is done for the man whom the king desires to honour!”
The poster advertises an adloyada parade and Purim carnival. The emblem of the municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa is printed in the upper left-hand corner of the poster, with its design which reflects ancient Persian art, referring to the location of the Purim story. The poster was designed by Samuel Grundman and Paul Kor, two important Israeli graphic artists who designed stamps, banknotes, posters, and other art in Israel and elsewhere. Paul Kor was also a famous children’s author and illustrator, particularly well known for his book Caspion, the Little Fish (or Flash the Fish, as it is known in English) which has been translated into many languages.
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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.
Adloyada - The adloyada tradition began in 1912 in the early days of Tel Aviv. In the 1930s it was decided that each adloyada should have a theme. The adloyada tradition died out during World War II but was renewed in 1955. At the end of the 1960s the parade was moved from Tel Aviv to the neighbouring city of Holon. Today, these parades take place in many cities around Israel before or on Purim.
