Feb 27, 2026
INTRODUCTION
For the past several years as we have set out to publish our annual Purim issue, I have found it necessary to preface the issue with an apology for our frivolity in light of the state of the world. It has recently come to our attention that there is unlikely to be a Purim any time soon without a circumstance somewhere in the world so serious that no one feels like joking. So rather than writing a new letter, we decided it would be more efficient to create this reusable template. Please circle the responses that feel most accurate for you, and have a miserable or happy Purim.
Tayere Leyeners,
It has been a difficult / trying / unprecedented / devastating / catastrophic year due to the global pandemic / collapse of democracies / xenophobia / war and bloodshed / climate crisis. We are faced with bleak realities, and we hold onto hope that they might be reversed.
We look back to times in the past of Yiddish-speaking communities as a spiritual resource. Purim was celebrated amidst pogroms / desperate poverty / in the wake of genocide / during forced labor, and the resilience of Yiddish-speakers in the past is something that makes us feel inspired / guilty / inadequate / determined as we contemplate the need for jokes in our present moment.
This Purim issue is for you, our readers / friends / comrades. If laughter is helpful for you, read the funny pieces and laugh. If you don’t feel like laughing, read the sad pieces and cry. We’ll respect you either way, and we hope you won’t cancel us for offering both options.
It’s a privilege to make you laugh / cry with you. We hope that knowing we’re going through all of this together makes our lives sweeter, even in these [insert adjective here] times.
Jessica Kirzane, Editor-in-chief, & the editorial staff of In geveb
