After years of upheaval, Israeli children had hoped this Purim might feel like the calm celebrations they once knew. Instead, the holiday is unfolding in bomb shelters and fortified safe rooms, without school parties or public parades.
For many families, it also brings the ache and anxiety of a parent called back to reserve duty, as more than 100,000 Israelis have been mobilized under emergency call-up orders as part of Operation Roaring Lion.
‘We’ll celebrate when Dad comes home’ - The Rizmovich family, Jerusalem
Tamar Rizmovich of Jerusalem, a member of the IDF Reservists’ Wives Forum, is married to Aryeh, a Yiftah Brigade combat soldier. They have five children: Dvir, 10; Hadar, 8; Shahar, 4; and 2-year-old twins Eitan and Neta.
With the outbreak of fighting against Iran, Aryeh was called up again after already serving 250 days since the start of the Iron Swords war that followed the October 7 attack.
“We’re trying to keep the holiday spirit alive,” Tamar said. “The kids organize activities and exchange gift baskets, but every time there’s a siren, everyone runs straight to the safe room. It’s a surreal reality.”
Aryeh was called up on Saturday, the day Israel launched its preemptive strike. “The first siren caught Aryeh and Dvir at synagogue,” Tamar recalled. “We observe Shabbat, but I looked at my phone and saw the attack had begun. I knew Aryeh was on alert and that they would call him. When he got home, I told him. We tried to finish the Shabbat meal, and then he left for base.”
Within minutes of the first siren, families were informed that schools would close and Purim celebrations were canceled. “Ten minutes after the first siren on Saturday, they announced there would be no classes,” Tamar said. “The children immediately started crying. They realized they wouldn’t get to dress up after we invested so much in their costumes.”
Dvir had planned to dress as an alien, Hadar as a unicorn, Shahar as a PJ Masks character and the twins as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
“Shahar told me, ‘Mom, don’t worry. Dad will come back from the war and we’ll have a costume party at kindergarten,’” Tamar said. “As far as he’s concerned, it will happen, even if it takes weeks.”
Dvir summed up his feelings: “It’s a bummer. It’s not nice that this is happening.” Hadar added, “We’re having a costume party at home, but we didn’t get to celebrate at school with our friends. It’s hard that Dad is in the reserves. I miss him.” Shahar said, “I told Dad to finish off all the bad guys and come home.”
“During the day, I’m so busy surviving and taking care of the kids that I think less about the reserves,” Tamar said. “But at night, everything sinks in. We’re just at the beginning, and I hope it will be short and safe. The uncertainty, with five children at home, is the hardest part. I’m alone here.”
She paused, then added: “Shahar keeps saying, ‘Mom, Dad will come home and he won’t have to go to the reserves anymore.’ That’s the hope of a 4-year-old in Israel.”
‘Why are you leaving again?’ - The Mordechai family, Nurit
Nadia Mordechai from the northern community of Nurit is married to Omri. They have three children: Roni, 9; Ido, 8; and Uri, 18 months.
Omri, a battalion commander in the 5033rd Battalion, has completed more than 500 days of reserve duty during the Iron Swords war. On Saturday, he was called up again, with no end date in sight.
“I understand there’s no choice,” Nadia said. “I immediately went to pack his bag. Everything is already organized. There’s a normalization of these emergency call-ups, as if it’s routine.” Still, she said, the emotional toll remains.
“There was a bit of hysteria: ‘Why are you leaving again?’ It breaks your heart every single time. No one really gets used to it. Even the little one understood. He cried when Omri left. Roni and Ido asked for one more hug, one more kiss. They begged him to send messages and talk to them. They also understand the dangers.”
Purim celebrations at their children’s schools were canceled. Nadia, who works full-time at a high-tech company, is doing her best to create a festive atmosphere at home.
“Roni was supposed to dress as Barbie, Ido as a brain-bot, and Uri was meant to get a chick costume from Kibbutz Ein Harod, but I’ll improvise something here,” she said. “Yesterday we baked homemade hamantaschen. Today we’ll hold a costume contest at home.”
Roni, the eldest, is struggling to feel festive. “It’s very sad that Dad isn’t here,” she said. “I’ll wait for him to come back, and then we’ll all dress up together.”
‘Both a siren and Dad leaving’ - The family from Afula
Yamit and Emil from Afula have four children: Rif, 22; 12-year-old twins Roi and Adel; and Eilon, 9.
Emil, a battalion commander in the 5034th Battalion, has completed about 600 days of reserve duty. When the first siren sounded on Saturday, he was immediately called up under an emergency order.
“This time, unlike previous rounds, when the sirens started he didn’t even enter the safe room with us,” Yamit said. “He said goodbye and left. For the kids, that wasn’t simple. A siren and dad leaving at the same time.”
Since October 7, she said, the cumulative strain has been immense. “We need mental health support after everything we’ve been through. I feel like our family is in serious regression.”
Yamit manages a nationwide project at a health care company and works remotely. “We try to do what we can from home, between one siren and the next. There isn’t a single idle moment, day or night.”
Now she is also dealing with her children’s disappointment, but she is doing everything she can to make sure they still feel it’s Purim.
“Adel planned to dress as a samurai. Roi and Eilon were going to be soccer players. Today we dressed up at home, and tomorrow we’ll bake together and prepare gift baskets,” she said. “Purim is a holiday for children. They waited all year.”
Eilon had been part of a class plan in which each boy would dress as a different player. “In the end, it didn’t happen,” Yamit said. “Adel sewed accessories for her costume that she won’t even wear. On Friday, we sat and sewed all day. We even prepared a family ‘Alice in Wonderland’ costume.” She is holding on to hope. “When things calm down and Emil comes back, we’ll celebrate. If not on Purim, then on Passover.”
Eilon is counting the days until his father returns. “I’m scared,” he said. “Dad isn’t home, and every time there’s a siren, I’m stressed that when we go outside we’ll see destroyed buildings. I hope we can celebrate after everything calms down.”
Adel did not hide her disappointment. “My costume party was canceled,” she said. “It’s a bummer. Maybe after everything ends, it will still happen.”