As a Tanakh teacher for the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, I have the privilege of teaching 8th Graders the Book of Esther.  The Megillah is chanted on the holiday of Purim (meaning lots), given its name because of the “lots” that Haman drew to find the day to massacre the Jewish people.  In the spirit of “lots”, our class recently conducted a Fantasy Draft with 3 separate categories: Biblical figures, Rabbinic Figures, and Miscellaneous Jewish Figures throughout History.

Team JP:

Biblical: Moses, Jonah, Pharaoh, Josephus, Sarah

Rabbinic: Rabbi Lubliner, Hazzan Holzer, Rabbi Lief, Rabbi Gaffney, Rabbi Nuri

Miscellaneous: Stephen Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Golda Meir, Hank Greenberg, Omri Casspi

Team JK:

Biblical Isaac, King Solomon, Ruth, Cain, Leah

Rabbinic: Shammai, Shimon Bar Yochai, Ramban, Rabbi Fisch, Rabbi (Rafi) Cohen

Miscellaneous: Rachel’s Dad, Woody Allen, Harrison Ford, Kenny Bernstein, Bob Dylan

Team AL

Biblical: Abraham, Isaiah, Joseph, Miriam, Ishmael

Rabbinic: Maimonides, Rabbi Yehuda, Bar kochba, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Miscellaneous: Albert Einstein, Theodore Herzl, David Ben Gurion, Red Auerbach, Billy Joel

Team AK:

Biblical: Aaron, Mordechai, King Saul, Esther, Tzipporah

Rabbinic: Rashi, Yochanan ben Zakkai, Judah ibn tibbon, Saadya Gaon, Hillel II

Miscellaneous: Adam Sandler, Natalie Portman, Anne Frank, Mark Spitz, Daniel Radcliffe

Team RM:

Biblical: King David, Joshua, King Hezekiah, Cyrus the Great, Samuel

Rabbinic: Hillel, Rabbi Gamliel, Shimon ben Gamliel, Yochanan ben Nuri, Hazzan Mizrahi

Miscellaneous: Jesus, Sandy koufax, Sascha berrin Cohen, Dolph Schayes, Amare Stoudamire

Team RS:

Biblical: Jacob, Noah, Elijah, Eliezer, Malachi

Rabbinic: Akiva, Yehuda III, Joseph Caro, Hillel ben Elyakin, Rabbi Zalmen

Miscellaneous: Ben Stiller, Barbara Streisand, Scarlett Johanssen, Rivka Cohen, Burt Hofner

Taking suggestions for possible battles each of these 3 teams can compete.