For the uninitiated, Purim is the Jewish holiday on which tradition tells us to “drink until you can’t tell the difference between good and evil.”
Often described as “Jewish Halloween” (which is a joke because it’s so much better), Purim is the holiday celebrated to commemorate the heroism of Queen Esther saving all her fellow Jews from a planned genocide by Haman. Somehow, over the years, the holiday came to be celebrated with costumes, debauchery, parties, and the eating of hamantaschen cookies – or as they’re called in Hebrew, Haman's ears.
For months, I had been told to go to Tel Aviv for Purim, and Jerusalem for Shushan. According to tradition, walled cities like Jerusalem celebrate Purim a day after the rest of the world. Meaning, if you live in Israel, you get two times as much Purim as the rest of the world. We in Israel aren’t complaining.
An Israeli Purim, in pictures:
One of my most important jobs was to find the best hamantaschen. This box is from the famous bakery Marzipan in Jerusalem. I also liked the chocolate-coated chocolate ones from a chain called Roladin.
Purim started with a street party in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv. It included a massive concert. Everyone was dancing, drinking, and eating.
My friends and I wore these masks to a masquerade ball in Tel Aviv.
The club where the masquerade was held, Poupee, was PACKED. The music and dancing were great, but considering how much we paid for the tickets, it would've been nice if it was slightly less crowded. A waitress accidentally knocked me to the ground because there was literally no space.
I was shocked to find that Tel Aviv didn’t have day-parties. I wandered through downtown, but eventually gave up and went to the beach, where I always go when I’m aimlessly in Tel Aviv.
Jerusalem was another story. These people decided to party on the light rail tracks. Thankfully, they stopped before the train arrived.
That night, we went to Shouk Mahane Yehuda. It did not disappoint!
Every corner was a different, crowded dance party with music blasting. FYI this was a good party for people like myself who like their drinks girly and cloying. I had a bomb passion fruit margarita (not shown).
It got so wild that police shut it down at midnight.
Not a problem. We all wandered the streets instead, simultaneously trying our best to avoid the illegal fireworks being set off literally everywhere. This video was taken on Ben Yehuda Street.
I was worried Shushan would be a repeat of Tel Aviv and would be dead during the day.
NOPE.
In fact, the party found me. I ended up walking in a parade on my way home.
We stopped for impromptu dance parties.
You couldn’t beat that energy. Hate to say it, but on the Purim party front, Jerusalem actually schooled Tel Aviv.
My tips for celebrating Purim in Israel:
Do your research for Tel Aviv. Like other holidays, you’ll want to book your party tickets in advance and research nighttime block parties.
Make sure to be in Jerusalem the next day and head to the Shouk the night of Shushan. No need to book anything unless you want to. If you would like to have tickets for parties after you've had your fill of the Shouk, there are parties going throughout the night. I saw a Facebook event for a sold-out party starting at 4am.
Don’t get hungover on Shushan because the daytime is complete chaos.
My one regret? Not having a traditional feast, or seudah, to attend. In Israel, these are big events. I had no idea. If you find yourself in Israel and don’t know where to go for one, try contacting Jeff Seidel at GetShabbat.com.
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