Overview
- Shushan Purim in Jerusalem featured in‑person Megillah readings and street festivities despite Home Front Command rules barring large gatherings, including in shelters.
- Air‑raid sirens sounded on Wednesday morning as celebrations shifted into synagogues, shelters and underground garages; leading rabbis urged safety compliance but said Zoom readings do not fulfill the mitzvah.
- Politicians and media figures drew explicit parallels to the Purim story, from a TV host costumed as an air force pilot to ministers and commentators assigning modern figures the roles of Mordechai and Haman.
- Avner Netanyahu was seen celebrating in Jerusalem, as a separate incident saw a Palestinian bus driver reportedly assaulted by Jewish youths, described by labor group Koach LaOvdim as an attempted lynching.
- Wartime observance extended to Ukraine, where Kyiv’s chief rabbi addressed celebrations remotely, a Jewish soldier received rare leave to hear the Megillah, and communities organized large‑scale mishloach manot and aid distributions.