Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Life

Offbeat Israel: This Purim, a Monkey Costume Would Be Unwise

Oh dear. Two monkeys have escaped from Jerusalem’s Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, better known as the Biblical Zoo — the same zoo at which Rabbi Marc, an Asian lion, resides.

The monkeys broke free yesterday morning, and at time of writing one has been found but the other is still on the loose.

It’s hard to imagine worse timing. In a few hours, a large part of the Israeli population will be changing in to fancy dress outfits for the festival of Purim. And in recent years, highly realistic animal outfits have become all the range. Let’s hope the zoo staff doesn’t cage in some unsuspecting monkey-outfitted party-goer while complimenting the real monkey on his fancy dress and wishing him a Happy Purim.


Staying on the subject of Purim, pamphlets with a plea not to dress up as “Zionists” have been distributed across the country.

They come from the avowedly anti-Zionist religious sect Neturei Karta, which is concerned about the penchant of ultra-Orthodox children for dressing up as soldiers and policemen, and in doing so wearing “impure symbols” of State of Israel.

The pamphlet, titled “On Purim I Do Not Wear Zionist Outfits,” says that Purim does not provide and excuse to wear “clothes of those who serve the heretical monstrosity that descended from Israel.”


The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker, is in Gaza with a group of 60 female activists, who went to highlight the devastation as a result of Israel’s recent campaign there. They are on a trip is organized by the American anti-war group Code Pink. The women hope to pressure Israel and Egypt to open borders.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Walker had a strong message for Americans. “It’s very important that they understand what is happening, and that we hold our own administration accountable,” she said.


The global economic crisis has, believe it or not, led many Israelis to put their faith in none other than the Pope.

It’s not that there’s a sudden craze for Catholicism, but rather an expectation that the Pope’s May visit could be the answer to the tourist industry’s prayers as the security situation and the economic crisis take their toll on visitor numbers. See this article in Haaretz about the $60 million his visit is expected to generate.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.