The Purim story ‘with a different cast’: Mid-war, festival readings and parties move to bomb shelters

AP — The Purim holiday is usually marked in Israel with boisterous street parades and costume parties to celebrate the Jewish victory over an ancient Persian ruler. This year, the celebrations moved into fortified bomb shelters as the country wages war against Iran’s modern-day leaders.

In Tel Aviv on Monday, people of all ages wearing sequined suits, bunny ears, pirate costumes and peacock feathers streamed into a mall’s underground parking lot that also functions as a bomb shelter for the traditional reading of the Purim story, followed by a live band with dancing.

“It’s all about choosing happiness, choosing to be joyful, no matter what else is going on,” said Mariel Margulis, a Tel Aviv resident who had set up a tent in the parking garage and lived there for the past few days with her husband and 6-month-old son.

They dressed up as people having a bath, complete with bath robes, and their son, Amichai, as a rubber ducky, and created a bathtub play area for him next to their tent.

The story of Purim, told in the Book of Esther, follows Haman, an adviser to Persian King Ahashverosh, as he plans to exterminate the Jews of the kingdom. The plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai. The story takes place some 2,500 years ago in Shushan, Persia, in what is modern-day Iran.

“It feels biblical in proportions, what’s happening right now, and we’re doing the little bit we can, staying calm, staying joyful,” said Mariel.

Nearby, Amichai slept through the loud “boos” from the crowd to drown out the name of villain Haman during a reading from the Book of Esther.

“It’s like the same plot of Purim with a different cast,” said Daniel Margulis, Mariel’s husband.

Purim, a holiday beloved by both religious and secular Jews, took place in most of the Jewish world starting on Monday night.

The holiday starts a day later in ancient walled cities, including Jerusalem.

In quiet times, families in colorful costumes throng downtown stretches, children eat copious amounts of traditional triangle cookies (hamantaschen). It’s customary to dress up in costumes and drink large amounts of alcohol.

In Jerusalem, musicians set up on balconies overlooking the main drag and street parties in the stone alleys stretch into the evening.

Massive parties were planned this year after a two-year break following October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war.

But celebrations were once again disrupted by war after Israel and the US launched an attack against Iran on Saturday, and Iran retaliated with relentless missile attacks in which 11 Israelis have been killed to date.

“We came because the kids didn’t want to miss out on Purim, they were really excited to get dressed up,” said Elysa Rapoport, a Tel Aviv resident who works in investments. Her daughters dressed up as Barbie Cowgirl and Rumi from K-pop Demon Hunters.

The outbreak of war followed weeks of US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike the Islamic Republic, first over its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters in January and more recently over its nuclear program.

With most Purim celebrations canceled, the family planned their walk to the Purim event along a route with frequent access to shelters. Iranian missiles have sent Israelis scurrying for shelters multiple times a day and night.

“This just feels surreal,” Rapoport said, looking over the celebrations, as hundreds of people gathered and danced under the parking lot’s fluorescent lights. Nearby, people and their dogs who had moved into the shelter for the duration of the war lounged on air mattresses, scrolling through their phones.

“It’s not the most optimal conditions, we’re used to our synagogue, but we’re here together with all of the nation of Israel,” said Gabi Grinshtain, a 39-year-old environmental consultant. “These are important days, and the setting is less important.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.