Titled "Girls Like You - Purim Parody," the song released by a capella group Rabotai is, as the title implies, a parody of "Girls Like You" by Maroon 5.
The music video, released on YouTube, depicts the group's mix of Israeli and Anglo singers as they tell the story of Purim, focusing heavily on the tale's heroine, Queen Esther, as she risks her life to stop the Persian vizier Haman from carrying out genocide on the Jewish people throughout the vast empire. The chorus then reminds the listener that girls like Esther "show what a Jew can be" and that they, too, can be like her.
The first few verses are lighter and give brief descriptions of the event, with the rap in the middle going into more detail while also reminding the listener of the importance of women in Jewish history.
True to form, the song is not limited to Queen Esther, with the second chorus also highlighting biblical heroines Sarah and Deborah along with former prime minister Golda Meir, movie star and Israeli "wonder woman" Gal Gadot and even the average Jewish mother and grandmother.
"This video has been a long time in the making... even though this past year has been difficult, if we learn anything from the Megillah, it is that we can not only survive, but flourish even when things are tough!" the song's description on YouTube states.
"As sometimes happens, the role of Jewish women is sometimes put aside and left as secondary in the annals of history, yet we have many examples of strong, courageous Jewish women doing their part to save the Jewish people," Rabotai said in a statement. "Esther was a prime example of this."
The group added that their aim was to tell the story of Megillat Esther in a fun and modern way, rap included, while making "the message about strong Jewish women, and how our actions big or small can make us more like the example we see from Esther."
The group calls on listeners to share stories of acts by Jewish women like Esther, which can be sent to rabotaimusic@gmail.com using the hashtag #IAmEstherToo.
This isn't the first topical song the a capella group has made. In July 2020, during the Jewish mourning period between the fast days on the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av (Tisha Be'Av), which also coincided with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Rabotai released a song that was a mash-up of the song "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers and the famous religious song "Acheinu."
"The songs are related in that they are both about brotherhood and helping one another. They're two very powerful songs about lending a hand to each other in times of difficulty," Daniel Fox, a member of Rabotai, told The Jerusalem Post at the time.
"'Acheinu,' is a prayer to God, where we ask Him to re-unite and re-unify the nation of Israel. We recognize that only together can we survive, flourish and accomplish our mission," group founder Daniel Brill had explained to the Post.
"During these trying times of the three weeks and coronavirus, the message we want to send to the world is that especially when we are there for each other, God is with us, and when God is with us, we come out stronger," he added.
Celia Jean contributed to this report.