It Is Purim in Jerusalem

Jerusalem, 25 March, 2024 (TPS-IL) -- In Jerusalem the Purim holiday is celebrated one day later. The day is called Shushan Purim. Shushan was the ancient capitol of Persia where the story of Esther and the defeat of the evil Haman who wanted to kill all of the Jews in the world took place.

Shushan was a walled city and the Bible says the defeat of Haman and his supporters lasted an extra day there, through the 15th of the Hebrew month of Adar. As a result, it was decided to celebrate Purim on the 15th in any walled cities that had walls during the biblical period, even if they no longer have them today. This includes cities like Jerusalem where the walls were razed and rebuilt in different eras – it had no walls at the time of Esther – and where most of the city lies outside of the Old City Walls.

So, while the rest of the world celebrated Purim on Sunday March 24 – the 14th of the Hebrew month Adar – Jerusalem is celebrating it today, Monday March 25th.

People in the city are out partying and in costume on Monday. Also, after much debate, the Purim parades will go on as usual in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre and the ongoing war against the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza, along with added security.
Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS