Israelis celebrated the beloved holiday of Purim Monday with all the usual fanfare: costumes, parades, parties and festive meals.
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Except for Jerusalem and several other cities, the holiday began after sundown on Monday and continued throughout Tuesday.
Video: Purim celebrations in Holon (Moshe Ben Simhon)
It included the reading of the Book of Esther, known as the Megillah. The scroll is read every year on Purim and tells the story of Esther, a Jewish woman who lived in Persia at the time of the exile and prevented the genocide of the Jewish people by the hands of Haman.
Jerusalem and several other cities celebrated the holiday a day later, known as Shushan Purim. Festivities began on Tuesday night and are expected to last throughout Wednesday.
Purim is also traditionally a time to give gifts to friends and neighbors (mishloach manot) and donate to those in need (matanot l'evyonim).
JNS.org contributed to this report.
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