Quite a journey from the Persian diaspora where Mordechai first thought it was wise to advise Esther that exile is best served by hiding one’s Jewish identity. But the modern story did not end there. For reasons that are not quite clear, on December 9, 2008 Iranian news outlets reported that the tomb of Mordechai and Esther would now be under official government protection and responsibility. In all probability Iran decided that this demonstration of tolerance was a sound move at a time of international criticism. And so, until last week, ancient Persia – today Iran – protected the graves of Mordechai and Esther. Remarkably, just before this Purim,
