A few years ago, we started keeping an eye on a rabbi in Los Angeles who seemed determined to turn Purim into a pop culture event.

Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen of Temple Isaiah first landed on our radar in 2023 when she transformed Lizzo’s “Juice” into a joyful Jewish pride anthem. It was polished. It was clever. It felt less like a synagogue skit and more like a music video with something to say.

Since then, she’s made this a bit of an annual tradition.

Last year, she went full Broadway, reworking “Popular” from “Wicked” into a Purim parody about Mordechai coaching Esther on how to become the king’s “favorite.” It was theatrical, ambitious and very on brand.

Now she’s back again.

This Purim, Cohen is channeling Taylor Swift with “The Life of a Royal,” a parody of Swift’s “Life of a Showgirl.” The video imagines a musical conversation between Vashti and Esther, reframing their story as one of solidarity rather than rivalry. Feathers, microphones and full glam are involved, naturally.

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What makes Cohen fun to watch isn’t the polish. It’s that she has a knack for spotting a pop culture moment and making it Jewish without making it cringy.