Purim is depicted as one of the most joyful of Jewish holidays, with some Jews observing it with costumes, skits, noisemakers, and varying degrees of rowdiness.
This year, the celebrations would be influenced by the Israel-Hamas War, which began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, the Associated Press reported.
What is Purim?
Purim celebrates the biblical story of how a plot to exterminate Jews in Persia was thwarted, which, according to Jewish tradition, is embraced as an affirmation of Jewish survival throughout history.
According to the Union for Reform Judaism, the holiday involved a religious service, usually in a synagogue, where the Book of Esther is read. According to Jewish scripture, the Persian king Ahashverosh's adviser Haman made a plot to exterminate all of the Jews of Persia, only to be foiled by Ahashverosh's Jewish queen, Esther, and her cousin Mordechai, who ultimately saved the Jews from destruction.
"The reading typically is a rowdy affair, punctuated by booing and noisemaking when Haman's name is read aloud," the group added. "Over the centuries, Haman has come to symbolize every anti-Semite in every land where Jews were oppressed. The significance of Purim lies not so much in how it began, but in what it has become: a thankful and joyous affirmation of Jewish survival."
Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar, which this year begins on Saturday night and continues through Sunday (Mar. 23-24), but most of Jerusalem would observe this one day later, which meant the celebrations would end on Monday (Mar. 25).
The holiday always precedes the Jewish high feast of Passover by approximately a month.
How Israeli Jews Celebrate Purim This Year
Citing the war against Hamas-and aware that the holiday coincides with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan-the Israeli education ministry warned students not to come in costumes "that may cause fear, panic, or injury," particularly implying costumes depicting Hamas's Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar.
Ahead of the holiday, Israeli police have also seized thousands of lifelike toy guns and grenades as part of "Operation Dangerous Toys."
The ministry added that the directive was issued "in the shadow of the war and in accordance with the security reality and the characteristics of the current period."
In addition to central government efforts, local Purim parades in many cities in Israel have been canceled due to the war in Gaza.
However, The Times of Israel reported that Jerusalem is planning to have its first Purim parade in 42 years on Monday. Organizers say the parade will include 30 floats and seven stages along the one-kilometer downtown Jerusalem route.
"I'm proud that Jerusalem is going ahead with this," Jerusalem's arts and cultural events head Tamar Berliner said. "Canceling anything cultural during a war is easy. It's challenging to carefully plan an event like this when Purim is draped in sadness."
Read also: Schumer on His Call for Netanyahu Ouster Over Gaza: 'Israel Cannot Survive If It Becomes a Pariah'
Purim Violence
Just like other public and religious holidays, Purim has sometimes been used as a date to commit high-profile acts of violence.
One example of such happened on Purim in 1994, when Baruch Goldstein, an American Israeli settler, killed 29 Palestinian Muslims kneeling in prayer at the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron.
In 1996, in the nine days leading up to Purim, about 60 people died in a series of bombings blamed on Palestinian militants. In the deadliest of those attacks, on the eve of Purim, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside a Tel Aviv shopping mall, where 13 Israelis were killed, including five children in Purim costumes.
Rabbis Divided in Sentiment
Meanwhile, there have been sharply different tones sounded by multiple rabbis this year in remarks related to Purim and the Israel-Hamas War.
Yitzhak Yosef, Israel's chief Sephardic rabbi, evoked a goal of crushing Hamas as he recently issued a ruling on how Israeli soldiers stationed in Gaza should celebrate Purim.
"May it be God's will that he will uproot them (Hamas) and destroy them and make them perish soon in our days," his ruling wrote.
However, New York City rabbis Amichai Lau-Lavie and Rachel Timoner jointly wrote an opinion piece in the Jewish news site The Forward, urging their American Jewish audience to tone down their Purim celebrations in relation to the war in Gaza.
"This year, let us put down the noise makers, lower our voices, or find other ways to conclude this story with sobriety," the rabbis wrote. "Let it serve as a moment of reflection on our impulse for revenge, on the grave responsibility that comes with holding power and on the moral consequences of failing to honor human life in the name of self-defense."
Lau-Lavie and Timoner suggested some alternative Purim observations, including charitable donations to organizations trying to meet the humanitarian needs of both Israelis and Gazans.
