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“Mordechai Is Riding a Horse”: Political Performances

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“Mordechai Is Riding a Horse”: Political Performances Chapter 5 “Mordechai is Riding a Horse”: Political Performances Political-Cultural Performance These next two chapters will analyze the cultural performances of bib- lical figures in the carnival. The term “cultural performance” refers to non-verbal expressions, via the body, objects, and sounds, which include rites, rituals, songs, dances, theatre, and other expressions in one analytical category. For the anthropologist Milton Singer, who coined the term, the analysis of processes of cultural transformation through cultural performance seemed somewhat corrective of inter- pretive manipulations by cultural agents. In this sense they are unlike mere “high” ideological texts, and hence more observable.1 Victor Turner further developed the term as a general approach to the study of culture, but unlike Singer, Turner emphasized the liminality of cul- tural performance, in which common social rules are suspended in favor of an enhanced reflectivity, which enables (though does not necessitate) for the social system a degree of self-criticism.2 Thus, the analysis of cultural performance and its transformations over time can reveal, or extract, implicit ideological motifs. In this chapter, I will explore symbolic and mythical dimensions of Zionist power, which proved crucial in the creation of the Zionist sphere of civil society and identity construction. In accordance with Alexander, “power” is understood here as “also a medium of commu- nication, not simply a goal of interested action or a means of coercion. It has a symbolic code, not only a material base.”3 The very symbolic 1 See: Singer 1972: 64–65, 71. 2 See: Turner 1987: 21–32. According to Kertzer (1988: 9), this reflexivity is the core definition of the ritual. 3 Alexander 2006: 48. Chapter 5. “Mordechai is Riding a Horse”: Political Performance 113 dimensions of Zionist power are revealed and analyzed here through their cultural performances in the Purim carnival. Hereafter I will discuss the performance of the biblical scene in which Mordechai is Riding a Horse. The performative centrality of the scene provides a thick clue regarding the dynamics in Zionist conceptualizations of its significant Others and understandings of political power. The unique variation of Urban Zionist perception of power is hinted at in the shift from symbolic violence in pre-Zion- ist performances into rites of rationality; but as we shall see, unlike other “uncivilized” rites, the rejection of symbolic violence was far from conclusive. Mordechai and the Horse A debasement and mockery of a fictitious “king” are general carni- valesque themes, and Bakhtin thought, for example, that the numer- ous scenes of grotesque coronation in Gargantua and Pantagruel are intended to mock Jesus’ passion.4 Historically, popular Purim perfor- mances in most Jewish Diasporas through the ages focused on sym- bolic violence toward evil Haman, situating this biblical scoundrel as the main performative antagonist-protagonist. The general structure of the performance was relatively homogeneous, consisting of perform- ing acts of symbolic violence on mimetic figures of Haman in different variations. Some created mannequins of Haman in varied sizes, which were then set aflame, hanged, stabbed, or even shot by gunfire after a staged procession. Sometimes a real actor was hired to play Haman, and his role was to be led in a street procession, spat upon and humili- ated by the crowd, and finally disposed of in a simulated execution in the street. The biblical scene of the hanging of Haman (Esther 8:10) was a significant performative basis for European Jewish popular theatre. Many Jewish communities observed this performative ritual despite the fact that it could be seen as taunting Christian religious sensitivi- ties. Many European Christians (not without reason) perceived this custom as an overly fervent or ludicrous imitation of Jesus’ passion, and in a few historical incidents, Jews paid a heavy price for the per- formance. This performance was accompanied by other customs, such 4 Bakhtin 1968: 198. 114 Chapter 5. “Mordechai is Riding a Horse”: Political Performance as making noise when Haman’s name was intoned (or blotting out his name through other means) during the liturgical chanting of the Book of Esther in synagogues.5 Beginning in the eighteenth century, and during the nineteenth, as part of the “pacification” noted above, there was a visible diminu- tion in Haman’s theatrical role. Rabbis, intellectuals, and community leaders declared a moralistic war against traditional revenge customs. In many places where this “reformation” took place (within all Jewish religious streams, to the same extent), the beating of Haman found no adequate performative substitute, and gradually, popular-traditional Purim performances faded away. The Tel Aviv carnival was the first significant Purim celebration in the Jewish world to suggest a “pacified” performative substitute, which pushed Haman to a secondary role. Instead of the hanging, the scene of Mordechai riding horseback, led by Haman on foot (Esther 6:11), became the most common and popular visual motif that accompanied Purim celebrations in Tel Aviv. Throughout the years when the carnival was held, there was not one procession in which this motif was not included. This scene was usually at the center of the performance of the “orien- tal youth” (Tze’irey Hamizrakh) club, and won several prizes.6 This mo- tif was not only performed in the main procession, but it also appeared in many posters, caricatures, and decorative items published by vari- ous organizations as an informal symbol for the carnival. Consider this caption from a JNF poster entitled “Purim’s masks”: 5 This performative structure recurred, with some variations, at least since the fifth century CE (see Linder 1983: 171–172; Thornton 1987), through- out the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Roth 1933; Roth 1959: 244; Belkin 1997) and the early-modern era (Goodman 1949: chap. XV; Gaster 1953: 221–232; Lewinsky 1955: 107–120; Kapakh 1961: 40; Ratzhabi 1988: 222 and note 31; Sperber 2002: 5–10; and more). For a general overview see Lewinsky 1947; Horowitz 2006; Hanegbi 1998; Har’el 2004. Mantgen (1994: 346) cites offended Christian interpretations, and following Roth (1933), he also suggests that the parody of the hanging of Haman/Jesus contributed to the development of blood libels. 6 See, for example: “Purim be-Tel-Aviv” [Purim in Tel Aviv], Ha’aretz 1.3.1926; “Purim be-Tel-Aviv” [Purim in Tel Aviv], Ha’aretz 20.3.1927; “Hakarnaval be-Tel-Aviv” [The carnival in Tel Aviv], Davar 28.3.1929; “Lamrot ha-matar: Purim mutzlakh be-Tel-Aviv” [Despite the downpour: A successful Purim in Tel Aviv], Doar-Hayom 5.3.1931; from Dizengoff to “the group of Yemenite youth,” 15.3.1933, TAMA, file 04–3220a. Chapter 5. “Mordechai is Riding a Horse”: Political Performance 115 A joyful sailor, working people/ a hasty clown, JNF box/ Mordechai rides a nice horse/ let us sing “the people of Israel live!”7 The transformation in the performative-interpretive empha- sis of the biblical text may be exemplified in an interesting notebook in which Yemima Aberman, a preschool teacher-in-training, docu- mented the activities of a preschool day that happened to take place before Purim. The notebook includes an abbreviated version of the Book of Esther as told to the children. In Aberman’s story, the hanging of Haman is completely omitted along with any hint of a brutal ven- geance by the Jews, probably to spare the children the bloody scenes (Jewish children were not spared these scenes in previous genera- tions, of course).8 Instead, Haman’s leading Mordechai on horseback is relocated to the end of the story and told in detail, after the expo- sure of Esther’s Jewish identity — unlike in the biblical narrative, in which the parade precedes Esther’s exposure. In other words, accord- ing to Aberman’s version of the story as told to the preschool children, Haman’s only punishment, and the fullest manifestation of the Jews’ redemption, is conveyed in the procession of Mordechai, the royal horse, and Haman through the streets of the city.9 From the perspective of contemporaries, the immediate inter- pretation of the motif was, first and foremost, political: to allude to Jewish self-sovereignty. Consider this song, titled “The singing of the Jewish masses [during the bringing of Mordechai on horseback]”: — What happened? — Who came? Who leads, who is led, and who gave the order? And who will have the victory — the descendants of Haman or Judea? 7 CZA, file KRA 196. See also KRA 439; KRA 1766. See also: “Kishutei rehov be-Purim” [Purim street decorations], Sha’ar Zion, Beit Ariela library, pho- tos collection, festivals file, Purim 1960; TAMA, file 01–06, pictures p-1431, p-1432. A caricature, “Kakha Ye-ase la-ish” [Thus it shall be done to the man; Esther 6:11], Ha’aretz 18.3.1935. 8 On transformations in children’s stories see: Shavit 1986. 9 Purim Notebook by Yemima Aberman, CZA, file J17/7225. 116 Chapter 5. “Mordechai is Riding a Horse”: Political Performance Who’s happy? Who moans? Who was defeated? Who’s riding on the king’s horse? Who has the merriment? — We are with the victory, and Haman with the defeat. Mordechai, a Jewish man, see — has honor and greatness. He’s riding the king’s horse, wearing azure-purple. The crown on his head — and the horse is led by Haman.10 The actualization of the scene was even more explicit in the fol- lowing description of the opening ceremony of the 1931 carnival in “Esther’s palace”: “Queen Esther” is revealed. The Jews of Shushan with their white garments are revealed, and then Mordechai, riding his horse, led by Haman, and Zeresh [his wife] with their entire household are walking after them, whining.
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