Does anyone know when noise was created? Well, whenever it was created, Purim is the holiday when noise is celebrated.

Children, of course, had always entertained themselves on Purim with noise to drown out the name of the evil Haman. Swinging a gragger became an art on Purim, with variations on a theme. Who can “grag” longer? Louder? Or create more interruptions? Or show off a new gragger made in a new style? And, of course, children enjoyed the “upside-down” nature of the holiday; what other time could they make noise during the services with impunity?

In the twentieth century, noise was transformed into recorded sound. Jewish organizations understood the power of the new technology and created recordings whose goal was to educate children through entertainment.

An early example of this genre is a recording of the song “Esther” in 1928. The record was produced by Jewish Home Institute and featured the popular singer Arthur Fields (born Abe Finkelstein), in a rendition of by  Samuel Grossman and Samuel Goldfarb, colleagues of pioneering Jewish educator Samson Benderly. The duo is best known for the American Jewish classic, “I have a little dreydl, I made it out of clay.”

Later recordings feature colorful record jackets with children in Purim costumes waving graggers. The “Purim Holiday Music Box” emphasizes the theme of education and Jewish continuity. The guidelines on the jacket advise: “This record is expressly designed for active child participation. Your child is encouraged with your help to ‘live’ the holiday on his level, through singing, dramatization and creative expression of his natural rhythms. In this way, your child comes to love his Jewish heritage.”

Yesterday’s children were entranced by the technology of the day: songs emerging from a record which spun on a turntable. Today’s children would indubitably find the style of the songs dull, and the need to keep turning the record over to the other side, or switch to a new one every few minutes might be a source of frustration. However, even with the advent of streaming and Shlock Rock, Ishay Ribo, and the like, children still delight in twirling their graggers.

Let there be noise. And then there was noise.

Reference: For more information on the Jewish Home Institute see Jonathan B. Krasner, The Benderly Boys & American Jewish Education.

Posted by Shulamith Z. Berger