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A Jew in the King’s Court: Dual Loyalty in the Book of Esther

JL;DR SUMMARY Tova Ganzel explores the theme of dual loyalty in the Book of Esther, which is set outside the Land of Israel in the Persian Empire. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryJewish IdentityDiasporaExileConversosEstherDual LoyaltyEzraPersian EmpireNehemiah

Places mentioned

Susa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran
"While Mordechai remained in the Persian capital, Susa, as a permanent court official, Nehemiah returned to Persia after his mission in Judah, and we hear little of him thereafter."
Elephantine, Aswan, Egypt
"The Jewish community at Elephantine in Egypt generally refrained from commerce on the Sabbath, though evidence also points to some Jews working on the holy day."
Babylonia, Basra, Iraq
"In contrast, in Babylonia, records suggest that Jewish merchants commonly conducted business on the Sabbath, indicating a different communal approach to Jewish identity."
Nippur, Al-Qādisiyyah, Iraq
"This trend is evident in Akkadian, Aramaic, and biblical sources, especially in economic and administrative documents from Babylonia, including sites like Al-Yahudu, Nippurand Susa."
Jerusalem, Israel
"Ezra represents a focus on preserving Jewish identity through observance of the Torah and commandments. Operating in Jerusalem, he leads religious and social reforms, even instituting the controversial expulsion of foreign wives to safeguard Jewish distinctiveness."
Judah, Jerusalem, Israel
"He rebukes local merchants for desecrating the Sabbath: In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath I warned them on the day they sold provisions (Nehemiah 13:15)."

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Cairo Item ID 76668
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Retrieved 2026-03-03 05:30:49 UTC
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