Today begins the Jewish holiday of Purim, which celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people 2,400 years ago from a plot to destroy them by the Persian leader, Haman.
The story of Purim, told in the Book of Esther, follows Haman, an adviser to 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 in Shushan, Persia, in what is modern-day Iran, according to the Associated Press.
The parallels of this holiday are thick amid the Israeli-U.S. war with Iran.
This afternoon, Denver7 anchor Shannon Ogden spoke with Rabbi Avraham Mintz, director of the Chabad of South Metro Denver. He called the timing of the events in the Middle East "unbelievable."
"The miracle that happened 2,400 years ago almost feels like it's happening over again. Unbelievable in every sense of the word. Same place on the map. Haman back then and today the ayatollahs of Iran who said time and again 'Death to Israel, death to the USA.' So, today I believe every person, whether they are Jewish or non-Jewish... have to celebrate and recognize a miracle happening right now before us," said Rabbi Mintz.
Rabbi Mintz said his daughter is studying in Israel right now and finally feels a sense of peace with the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, this weekend.
The Purim holiday is usually marked with boisterous street parades and costume parties. In Israel this year, the celebrations moved into fortified bomb shelters as the country wages war against Iran’s modern-day leaders, the AP reported.
The remainder of this story is courtesy of the AP.
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.
In quiet times, families in colorful costumes throng downtown stretches and children eat copious amounts of traditional triangle cookies. 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. Many cities had canceled or scaled down their Purim celebrations for the past two years due to the Israel-Hamas war.
But celebrations were once again disrupted by war, after Israel and the U.S. launched an attack against Iran on Saturday.
“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.
