essay

The Bobover Hasidim PIREMSHPIYL: from folk drama for Purim to a ritual of transcending the holocaust

New world Hasidim : ethnographic studies of Hasidic Jews in America • Albany, N.y. • Published In 1995 • Pages: 237-255

By: Epstein, Shifra.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document

This work '…explores the Bobover Hasidim folk drama for Purim, the PIREMSHPIYL, as a ritual transcending the experience of the Holocaust' (p. 237). Epstein examines the potential of the Purim festival by showing its adaptability to fit a wide variety of occasions. Not only are daily events turned topsy-turvy in the Purim, but also merrymaking events, including the performance of the PIREMSHPIYL, become occasions in which the Hasidim attempt psychological adjustments to the terrors of the Holocaust. Since relatively little has been written about the complexity of emotions and beliefs that the Holocaust still holds for the Hasidim, this article is perhaps the first effort to inquire into the manner in which the Hasidic community is able to confront this horror from their past.

SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF

Drama

Organized ceremonial

cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)

North American Hasidic Jews

HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document

1996

RegionThe area the document pertains to

North America

Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region

Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures

Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs

essay

Evaluation

Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.

Ethnologist

Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.

5: Excellent Primary Data

AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection

John Beierle ; 1995

Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document

1976-1979, 1987

Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to

variable

Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)

Bobover; Boro Park, Brooklyn, N.Y., United States

NotesAdditional notes

Shifra Epstein

Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-255)

LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number

94000300

LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings

Jews