JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated today. It's centered around a biblical story set in ancient Persia. That is, modern-day Iran. As NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Israel, the holiday is resonating differently with the country at war with Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Hebrew).
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: At a small gathering in a top-floor Tel Aviv apartment, the biblical book of Esther is recited in Hebrew from a parchment scroll. It's the holiday of Purim. The tradition is to boo and make noise when the villain's name is read.
(SOUNDBITE OF BOOING AND BANGING)
ESTRIN: The villain of this biblical story is Haman, the adviser to the Persian king who plots to kill the Jews of the empire. The plan is foiled and the enemy is killed.
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing in Hebrew).
ESTRIN: Rabbi Adi Elefant is hosting the holiday party. He's an Orthodox rabbi from the Hassidic religious movement Chabad. He raises his glass to me and toasts to life.
ADI ELEFANT: Lehayim.
ESTRIN: So how is this holiday, Purim, different from any other?
ELEFANT: Yeah, you're really asking? Everything happened then happened now.
ESTRIN: He compares the villain of the Bible story, Haman, to the Iranian supreme leader whom the Israeli military killed on Saturday - Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath.
ELEFANT: The one the military killed in Shabbat, Khamenei, it's the same name. Haman, Khamenei is the same name. And they both want to do the same thing. They want to kill Jews around the world.
ESTRIN: Israel considers Iran its arch enemy. The Islamic republic's leaders have chanted death to Israel for decades. The rabbi says Khamenei's death has given him another reason to celebrate.
ELEFANT: From Shabbat, I'm in Heaven. I was waiting for this all my life.
ESTRIN: On Saturday, an Iranian missile fell just a few blocks away from the rabbi's home, killing a woman. As missile fire continues, Purim holiday parties are officially canceled. But the war hasn't stopped many Israelis from still partying. They're just taking their parties underground...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PARTYGOERS: (Vocalizing).
ESTRIN: ...Into bomb shelters like this dance party with a DJ captured on social media. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also referenced the holiday at the start of the war.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: (Speaking Hebrew).
ESTRIN: "In ancient Persia," Netanyahu said in a video address, "an enemy rose against us and was taken down." He said now, like then, Iran's evil regime will come to an end. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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