The Queeen is Dead- Long Live the Queen - Elizabeth and Esther Dedicated to their people

This week show Biz lost a star that was way beyond her year. When Elizabeth Taylor took the stage you knew she was all there. He accolades are too numerous to list. Since Purim has just passed by, it is most appropriate to point out the connection between Elizabeth Taylor and Queen Esther.

Perhaps one of her most famous films, Cleopatra, The Queen of Egypt, was the one who put her over the edge to become the highest paid actress up to that time in 1960. She won two Academy Awards for best actress. She also was honored by the Screen Actors Guild with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Among other awards, she was also named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.


While Taylor was indeed a movie star, she was known for quite a few other things, like her beauty, her many marriages (and divorces), and most notably, her charitable work. Taylor was a famous activist and a generous humanitarian for HIV/AIDS. In fact, in a little over 30 years of active participation, she was involved with or responsible for raising more than $100 million for HIV/AIDS related charities. Her work earned her the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Academy Award in 1992. She was also the co founder of the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and formed her own organization, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1993. She was also known for her charitable work involving Jewish and Israeli causes.

  After her conversion to Judaism at the age of 27, Taylor worked for Jewish causes throughout her life. In 1959, her large-scale purchase of Israeli Bonds triggered Arab boycotts of her films In 1962, she was barred from entering Egypt to complete Cleopatra; its government announced that "that Miss Taylor will not be allowed to come to Egypt because she has adopted the Jewish faith and 'supports Israeli causes.'" In 1974, Taylor and Richard Burton considered marrying in Israel, but could not because Burton was not Jewish. Taylor helped to raise money for organizations such as the Jewish National Fund; advocated for the right of Soviet Jews to emigrate to Israel and canceled a visit to the former USSR because of its condemnation of Israel due to the ix Day War; signed a letter protesting the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 of 1975; and offered herself as a replacement hostage during the 1976 Entebbe skyjacking
Taylor was also known for being a fashionista and a pioneering business woman in the beauty and fashion industry. Her perfumes, "The Elizabeth Collection," including "Passion," "White Diamonds," and "Black Pearls," earn an estimated $200 million in sales yearly.

Like the Ancient Queen Esther, Liz wanted to do everything  to use her power of influence. I have no doubt that both Esther and Liz were beautiful both on the inside and out. Esther was born Jewish , AKA Hadassa and hid her Jewish Identity until the right time. Elizabeth Taylor was not born Jewish but chose to take on Judaism and became was of the strongest world famous advocates for Jewish causes.

It is without a doubt the girl who loved to be Queen on and off stage will forever be remembered, as was Biblical Ruth, also a non Jew by Birth, as "A Woman of Valor"

Being A Modern Woman In An Ancient Society

Standing up for your rights

Today March 8th we celebrate International Women's Day. Around the world many women are celebrating with pride the achievements of women throughout time. It is so unfortunate that in some societies it would be unheard that women should be allowed to have the ability to drive, be a political representative and so on. According to news media reports Egyptian women were not as fortunate to celebrate the modern woman. A protest by hundreds of Egyptian women demanding equal rights and an end to sexual harassment turned violent when crowds of men heckled and shoved the demonstrators, telling them to go home where they belong.

One might think that the International Woman's Day dates back only100 years, but the fact is women have tried over the years to gain better respect and place in society. The idea of an International Woman's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage. 

 Let's travel further back in time to the days of an empire that stretched many lands. Long ago, in a country called Persia (Babylon), there was a king named Achashveyrosh (as known in Hebrew... his Persian name was Xerxes) and a queen named Vashti.  King Achashveyrosh  ordered his wife the queen to appear before him at a party so he could show everyone how pretty she was.  The story commentary suggest that she was to appear only with her crown.When she refused, the king was furious. This you could say was one the start of a well know tradition of the Jewish people to celebrate the courage of the women in ancient Persia in a city called Shushan. 

Queen Vashti was dealt with swiftly but the Story of Queen Esther is the story of women deifying the laws of the land ( or of the time) Esther had to deal with the situation that her people ( the Jews) had been ordered to be killed. Esther who was chosen to replace Vashti was not allowed to come before the king unles she was summoned. Breaking the rule meant death. Yet even though Esther new she wa doomed, she did she felt she had to do. You can search the full story online. What is amazing i that the Jewish people will read ( and have been reading each year for centuries) the story of Esther. For the Jews it is most know for how Ether saved the Jew. Nut for all of us it can be an inspiring story of the courage of women told to a community year, after year after year. Isn't it a shame that some place around the world still treat women no different than queen Vashti in our enlightened world? To be a modern woman in an Ancient Society is a heavy burden that millions of women have to bear.