Star Metro - Underground party scene: Israelis celebrate Purim in air raid shelters

All public gatherings have been banned by military order, but four floors underground in the basement parking lot of a Tel Aviv mall, hundreds of young people gathered in costume, as is customary for the festive holiday -- typically marked by gift-giving and lots of alcohol.

Purim, which celebrates the Jewish people's rescue from a Persian extermination plot as recounted in the Book of Esther, held a different meaning this year for Israelis after Iran launched strikes in retaliation for an Israeli-US attack on the Islamic republic that began on Saturday.

Maxim Green, 28, said he heard about the car park celebration on the WhatsApp group of his synagogue.

"It's really crazy that it's happening at this time, this war. Because it really does have some similarities with the Purim story. You have an evil regime who wants to topple the Jewish people," he said.

Cowboys, a Peter Pan, a Pikachu and a flight attendant wearing a sign that said "Tel Aviv-Tehran, status: boarding" all stood around a rabbi reciting the Megillah, a passage of the Bible traditionally read for the holiday.

Ethan Cohen, a 26-year-old tech worker who spent part of his day volunteering to clean up debris at the impact site of an Iranian missile, told AFP he came to hear the Megillah and then start partying.

"I wanted to celebrate Purim, and, you know, it's a very meaningful holiday, especially... considering what's currently happening in the world."

As in normal years, worshippers booed and waved noisemakers each time the story's antagonist, Haman, was announced, before drinking and dancing to pop music despite the unusual setting.

The mall's underground parking lot, which serves as a shelter when incoming projectiles are detected, was empty of cars, many of its spots instead filled with tents.

- 'One day at a time' -

Some people, like Anna Shilanski, are choosing to spend their nights underground to avoid having to wake up and rush downstairs when air raid sirens wail in the wee hours.

Though a bit surprised by the crowd, the 32-year-old welcomed the celebration, setting up a tea spot for those also staying in the shelter.

"I'm really happy that people have a place to do this," she told AFP between her table of refreshments and the green camping tent she shares with her mother, stepbrother, and his mother.

"At some point, I think everyone's going to go to sleep, and before that, we're going to have a cup of tea," she said, adding that "when people are stressed, they like to feed people".

Asked how long she thought the war would last, she said she was "taking it one day at a time, not expecting anything soon".

For some partygoers, the basement's low ceilings eventually became uncomfortable, and they decided to leave through the car's exit ramp to get some fresh air in the quiet streets.

Other underground shelters, including level -3 of the same mall, also held Purim gatherings.

But some rabbis turned to online video readings of the Megillah in order to follow army orders while still respecting the religious requirements of the holiday.

Anat Shamir, a 70-year-old retiree sleeping on the opposite side of the parking lot to the Purim celebration, said she was getting used to staying underground and felt Israel's action in Iran was worth her discomfort.

A staunch supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, she said she was confident in Israel's capacity to reach its war goals.

"We have to do it. Otherwise, they kill us," she said from her mattress, which was neatly arranged between the parking spot's painted lines.

L.Mitchell--SMC