(Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handed President Barack Obama a gift on Monday - an ancient Hebrew tome about a Persian plot to annihilate Jews. It's called the Scroll of Esther, a tale of palace intrigue featuring a Jewish beauty who charms a Persian king into foiling an evil adviser's genocidal plans for her people some 2,500 years ago. "Then too, they wanted to wipe us out," Netanyahu told Obama, according to an Israeli official. Jewish faithful gathered in synagogues on Wednesday to read the parchment text, popularly known as the Megillah, on the eve of the Jewish costume holiday of Purim, a celebration of salvation and of turning the tables on one's foes.
2012-03-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive