Lakewood’s Sons of Israel shul has taken its Purim decorations to a whole new level this year, turning the Yom Tov’s themes of divine justice and miraculous Jewish survival into a striking and comical visual display.
The shul has been adorned with a comical and dramatic reimagining of the Purim story. Hanging from above are effigies of Haman’s ten sons, recalling their execution as recorded in the Megillah. Below them, a life-sized Haman is depicted leading a royal horse—a nod to the villain’s humiliating downfall—while his daughter is seen dumping garbage on his head from above, a reference to the Midrashic account of her epic blunder.
But this year, the Purim tableau extends beyond ancient Persia. Suspended alongside Haman’s sons are three modern figures known for their brutal campaigns against the Jewish people—Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif. These men, who masterminded terror against Israel, particularly Sinwar and Deif’s orchestration of the October 7 massacre, met their end at the hands of the IDF. Their inclusion in the Purim display underscores the Yom Tov’s enduring theme: the ultimate downfall of those who seek to annihilate the Jewish nation.
