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Esther -of Purim holiday fame- fasted for three days before approaching the
ancient Persian King in an attempt to save her Jewish people. Addressing King Xerxes without permission was punishable by death. Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat has been on a hunger strike since December 11th demanding an audience with our Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Tomorrow on Shtetl we speak with renowned Native American activist and author Winona LaDuke, of Ojibway and Jewish descent, about Idle No More and Chief Spence’s hunger strike. LaDuke is the Executive Director of Honor the Earth and was Ralph Nader’s Vice Presidential running mate in 1996 and 2000.
We’ll also talk with Jewish actor Michael Rubenfeld about his fast in solidarity with Chief Spence.
Music in this episode: Betty Wright (Where Is the Love), Tribe Called Red (The Road), DeLeon (Bre Sarika), Lucinda Williams (Out of Touch).
(The image for this show was taken from a 19th century etching of Esther by German artist Gottlieb Biermann. Eagle feathers were not part of the original artwork.)
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