Cleveland, OH (February 28, 2012) For the 38th consecutive year, “Phil Fink’s Shalom America” will present a live reading of Megilat Esther – The Story of Esther – on Cleveland radio. This year’s reading will be part of a 90 minute Purim special broadcast on WKTX 830 AM from 10:30 am – noon on Purim day, Thursday, March 8. Shalom America host Phil Fink will be joined once again by his son and co-host Shawn, the producer of the weekly Jewish-themed program. Dr. Mark Lovinger will return to read the Megillah.
For the first time, the program will be broadcast live from The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood. “We are looking forward to this special opportunity to broadcast from the Maltz Museum”, said Phil Fink, “and we invite anyone interested in being a part of our live audience to come in their finest Purim costume and join us in person.” There is no charge for admission to the broadcast, but due to limited space, those interested in attending are encouraged to contact the museum at 216. 593.0575 to reserve a seat in the Chelm Family Theatre. For those who would like to stay after the broadcast to see the Museum, one admission fee admits guests to the entire Museum including two permanent collections (An American Story and The Temple-Tifereth Israel Gallery) and the special exhibition, Project Mah Jongg).
“By broadcasting a live reading of the Megillah without any commercial interruption, we make it possible for those who otherwise might not be able to hear a Megillah reading in person to fulfill the mitzvah (obligation) of hearing the Megillah read on Purim”, explains Fink. “Over the years we have consulted with a number of leading Orthodox Rabbis who have agreed that if a person has no other way of hearing the Megillah, they may listen to a live reading over the radio and fulfill the mitzvah in that manner.”
The broadcast will also feature Purim-music, spiels (comedic skits), and special guest appearances.
Megilat Esther is the Hebrew name for the biblical “Book of Esther” which tells the story of the plot by the evil Haman to kill the Jews living in the Persian Empire in the year 352 BCE. The Megillah is read – in Hebrew – from a handwritten parchment scroll twice on the holiday of Purim, once at the start of the holiday at nightfall and again the next morning. It is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim.
In addition to the live broadcast on WKTX, the Purim special will also be webcast on Radio-J.com the webcasting service of Olam Broadcasting Inc. Due to the delay inherent in webcasting, it is not possible to fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the Megillah via the internet.
“Phil Fink’s Shalom America”, which debuted in 1964 is the longest-running Jewish radio program in North America and is broadcast Sunday mornings from 7-9 AM on WELW 1330 AM. An internet edition, “Shalom America Worldwide” is heard weekday mornings at 9 am on Radio-J.com with repeats at 3 pm, 9 pm, and 5 am.
