Book of Esther

People watch the Purim parade in Jerusalem, Monday, March 25, 2024. For the first time after 42 years and amid the Israel-Hamas war, Jerusalem holds a Purim parade on Monday. 

‘Our joy is limited’: A subdued Purim in Israel during wartime 

Israel-Hamas war

Jews around the world just celebrated the holiday of Purim, which is said to mark the survival of Jews in ancient Persia. In Israel, it is known for being a raucous holiday with parties, costumes, sweets and drinking. But for many Israelis, the war meant this year’s holiday felt different.

Orthodox Jewish men in costume read from a scroll of the biblical Book of Esther for the Jewish carnival holiday of Purim. The story tells the tale of an ancient Persian king whose viceroy hatches a plot to kill the Jews of the kingdom, a plot that is thw

Iranians and Israelis are in a battle over history — and the holiday of Purim

Belief