Mordecai is the uncle (or cousin) of Esther in the book of the latter's same name. He raised her starting infancy, and he is a Jew. Mordecai was the one who (by the Lord's command) sends Esther to the King's palace, advising her not to reveal where she comes from. Unlike any Jews the Prime Minister, Haman, forces to bow to him, he is strong-willed and won't bow to him, because Haman is an Amalekite, and Amalekites were adversaries of God. In the play Malice in the Palace: The Story of Esther, Mordecai is Esther's cousin and has a number: "Stand Up."