Municipalities, rabbis urge refraining from loud noise during Purim celebrations to respect those with PTSD

By Rossella Tercatin

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26 February 2026, 11:26 am

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Rossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.

People read from Megillat Esther (the Story of Esther) during the Jewish holiday of Purim, at the Great Synagogue in Tel Aviv, on March 16, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The municipalities of Jerusalem and several other Israeli cities, including Ashdod, Ramat Gan, and Yavne, are calling on people to avoid firecrackers and loud noises that are traditional during the upcoming holiday of Purim next week, in order to be considerate of people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Purim is a holiday of joy, costumes, and color, but this year more than ever we are called upon to show mutual consideration,” the Ashdod municipality says in a statement published on its website, saying that the recent war in Gaza “has left many people feeling sensitive and on edge.”

It adds, “For soldiers who have returned from the front, bereaved families, those suffering from anxiety, and children who were exposed to sirens and rocket interceptions, the sudden sound of a boom is not a game, it is a trigger that instantly takes them back to difficult moments.”

For the same reason, the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization asks people attending readings of the Book of Esther to forgo the tradition of making a din with noisemakers known as “groggers” when the name of Haman, the story’s antagonist, is mentioned.

“Many communities are home to heroes who have returned from the battlefield,” Tzohar says in a statement. “Our brothers and sisters continue to suffer the emotional impacts of combat and it is therefore critical that everyone, children and adults alike, be sensitive to those challenges. For these individuals, the sudden loud sounds that are traditionally part of the Megillah [Book of Esther] reading are not innocent or fun, but can be painful triggers bringing them back to the traumas of war.”

In September, the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department said it was caring for a total of 81,700 wounded veterans, including 31,000, suffering from mental health conditions. The number includes veterans of the Gaza war and previous conflicts.

Purim will be celebrated on Monday night and Tuesday across the world. It will be celebrated on Tuesday night and Wednesday in Jerusalem and several other cities that were encircled with a wall in ancient times.