See How Israel Read the Megillah on Purim, From Shelters to the Frontlines

Across Israel on the first night of Purim, Megillah readings were held in bomb shelters, fortified hospital wards, frontline military positions and underground parking garages, as Home Front Command restrictions limiting public gatherings reshaped how communities observed the holiday. From central Tel Aviv to the Gaza front, Israelis relocated traditional synagogue readings into protected spaces, ensuring the Book of Esther was read even as the country remained on high alert.

In Tel Aviv, hundreds gathered in the underground parking level of Dizengoff Center, where the Megillah was read beneath fluorescent lights and emergency signage. Footage from the scene showed a packed crowd standing shoulder to shoulder in the protected area of the mall.

Farther north, in the Upper Galilee, residents assembled in a municipal bomb shelter for a Megillah reading attended by the local mayor. The event took place inside the reinforced space used during rocket alerts, reflecting the proximity of the region to ongoing security tensions.

On the southern front, IDF soldiers held a Megillah reading inside a fortified structure in the Khan Younis area. Images showed troops in full combat gear gathered around a scroll placed on a makeshift table. In a post accompanying the footage, journalist Yinon Magal wrote:

“Shehecheyanu v’kiyemanu v’higianu lazman hazeh. 2380 years — there has never been a Purim like this. Our soldiers on the northern border, on the way to hang all those who sought to hang us. Happy Purim.”

The Israeli Air Force also marked the holiday while continuing operations. In a statement posted on its official account, the IAF said: “Even in the midst of a historic operation, Air Force personnel paused for a moment to fulfill the mitzvah of reading the Megillah.”

At Beilinson Hospital, medical staff and patients gathered in a protected ward for the reading. The hospital wrote: “Even in an emergency, we do not give up on reading the Megillah.” Photos showed doctors, nurses and family members seated closely together inside the reinforced area of the medical center.

National leadership likewise took part in the first-night observance. President Isaac Herzog joined fighters from the Duvdevan unit for a Megillah reading, "Saluting the fighters and women fighters of Israel who guard us on all fronts." He added: "To all the people of Israel, on this Purim holiday eve - may it be like those days, that also in this time - we know light and joy and a great message."  National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz was seen in Beit Shemesh, reading Megillah with victims of yesterdays strike in Beit Shemesh that killed 9.

At the Channel 14 studios, a Megillah reading was also held, reflecting how workplaces and media outlets adapted observances to the security situation.

Across the country, Chabad emissaries and volunteers reworked their Purim plans within hours of the emergency directives, shifting from large public gatherings to dozens of smaller readings in bomb shelters, apartment buildings, and reinforced safe rooms. Instead of hosting centralized celebrations, organizers moved from location to location, bringing the Megillah directly to families sheltering in place to ensure the holiday’s observances could continue safely.

(Chabad.org)

Additionally, across neighborhoods nationwide, residents organized modest Megillah readings inside communal shelters and reinforced rooms, with improvised decorations and limited attendance reflecting the ongoing security restrictions.

From underground malls in Tel Aviv to frontline positions near Gaza, Purim was observed in spaces shaped by war rather than festivity. Across those varied settings, the Megillah was read as it has been for generations.