First Jerusalem Purim Parade in 42 Years to Bring Cheer ‘Draped in Sadness’ During War

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion: ‘The parade this year is more than a Purim event, but a victory of spirit and standing strong.’

By Shula Rosen

The first Purim parade in Jerusalem since 1982, which was planned before Israel’s war with Hamas, will bring cheer “draped in sadness” to the city.

Tamar Berliner, who is the head of arts and cultural events for the city of Jerusalem, discussed with Times of Israel the ambivalence some felt about going forward with the parade and the eventual decision to hold the event.

“I’m proud that Jerusalem is going ahead with this,” she said.

“Canceling anything cultural during a war is easy. It’s challenging to carefully plan an event like this when Purim is draped in sadness,” she added.

The Purim parade, often called an Adloyada, which is a short version of an Aramaic term that expresses the commandment to be joyful on Purim, will take place in Jerusalem on Shushan Purim, March 25 throughout a one-kilometer space in the city between 10am and 2pm.

It will include 30 floats and will pass seven stages featuring musical performances.

Although Adloyada parades are held all over the country, they have been largely absent in Jerusalem.

The last two Adloyada parades in Jerusalem took place in 1957 and then in 1982.

Berliner, who has wanted to hold an Adloyada parade in Jerusalem for years, finally was given the green light before the war and began coordinating plans with the staff of the Karon Theater, a children’s theater complex in the city’s Liberty Bell Park.

However, after the Hamas invasion and massacre on October 7th and the ensuing war, Berliner had to face the decision of whether or not to carry on with the planned parade.

Berliner attended a conference for municipal cultural departments in Eilat where she discussed Jerusalem’s decision to go ahead with the parade as well as the marathon and and activities connected to Ramadan.

Moshe Lion, who was recently re-elected as Jerusalem’s mayor said, “The parade this year is more than a Purim event, but a victory of spirit and standing strong.”

Berliner commented, “That took a lot of courage from the mayor.”

“To be in a war, and to say you believe the war will end, and that we have to figure out how to celebrate despite all that,” she added.

“There’s no sense of instant happiness right now,” she said, “especially in Jerusalem which has suffered so many losses. You have to look at things a little differently.”