How Mordechai and Esther Saved Mezhibuzh

In the small Ukrainian town of Mezhibuzh, an interesting tradition persists among the Jewish community. Each year on the 12th of Tevet, they celebrate "Mordechai Purim," a day memorializing their ancestors' escape from a deadly attack during the Khmelnytsky Uprising.

The uprising, led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, targeted the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and saw brutal attacks on Ukrainian Jews. These events, later known as the "Massacres of 1648," threatened many Jewish communities.

As the revolt spread, the Cossack rebels wreaked havoc in Jewish settlements in Volhynia and Podilia. With the nearby town of Drizhna falling prey to the violence, Mezhibuzh's Jewish residents feared they were next.

In a bid for survival, on the 11th of Tevet, the entire Jewish population of Mezhibuzh sought refuge in the large city fortress, fortifying their positions. A moat fed by the Buh River encircling the fortress served as their defense. To further secure the fortress, they dismantled a critical bridge connecting it to the town and bolted the gates.

(Illustrative photo: Shutterstock)

However, as night fell leading into the 12th of Tevet, Ukraine’s harsh winter took its toll—the river froze over. By morning, the rebels leveraged this, advancing across the ice to besiege the fortress.

Cloaked in fear but fueled by hope, the Jews remembered the Talmudic teaching: "Even if a sharp sword rests upon a man's neck, he should not despair of mercy." Surrounding themselves with prayer and tears, they cried out for salvation, reciting prayers, supplications, and Psalms.

Among them was a humble couple, Mordechai and Esther (not the famous Mordechai and Esther of the Purim story!). Seeing the plight of their community, Mordechai and Esther took matters into their hands—or rather, into their drums. Boldly and without any weapons, they mounted horses and approached the rebels, armed only with drums.

As they neared the enemy, they beat their drums fiercely. The sound startled the rebels, leading them to mistake the noise for the approach of a Polish army. Overcome with fear, the rebels fled, and the Jews were delivered.

In commemoration of this remarkable deliverance on the 12th of Tevet, 1648, the Jews of Mezhibuzh instituted a day of joy and celebration named "Mordechai Purim," in honor of Mordechai and Esther’s courageous deception that saved their city.