Israeli holiday celebrations subdued by loss of loved ones and war in Gaza

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• William Brangham:

  This week, for the first time in more than 40 years, Jerusalem held a parade for the Israeli holiday of Purim. It's traditionally a party for kids and adults, but, this year, the war has muted the festivities and even caused controversy over that parade.

  Nick Schifrin and producer Karl Bostic talked with Israelis about holding a subdued celebration in a time of war.

• Nick Schifrin:

  It is a 2,500-year-old holiday, a celebration of an ancient Jewish victory over persecution. Purim is Carnival meets Halloween.

  But even in a country always on alert, October the 7th shattered Israelis' sense of security and even faith in having fun. Past the Waldo hats, next to the Lion King float, a reminder of how long Hamas has held Israeli hostages.

  Reuven Rivlin is Israel's former president.

• Reuven Rivlin, Former Israeli President:

  People are asking, in those days, when you have so many people, and you have those who were kidnapped in Gaza still, why should we celebrate?

• Nick Schifrin:

  And so Jerusalem's mayor solved a storm of criticism by embracing hostage families. He announced not a Purim carnival, but a united Purim procession.

  It was led by hostage families, surrounded by the symbol of the kidnapped, a yellow ribbon, and a tribute to those prevented from being here.

• Gil Dickmann, Hostage Family Spokesman:

  When I heard about the parade for the first time, I also thought it wasn't a good idea.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Gil Dickmann is a hostage family spokesman. His cousin 39-year-old Carmel Gat has been a Hamas hostage for 173 days.

• Gil Dickmann:

  We're here because we have to make sure that all Israelis remember that there are hostages in the hands of Hamas, and that the whole world remembers that we have to do everything we can to make sure that they come home as quickly as possible.

• Nick Schifrin:

  And yet the show must go on, if only as a show of defiance, especially for kids.

  Each float, including the king produced with plastic, was crafted by children, and this king had a queen, 13-year-old Tamara.

• Tamara, Jerusalem Train Theater:

  After the war, everyone felt, like, a little sad, and I think it's very important to don't forget the holiday that we have, and I want to be a part of it.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Or the not-so-little mermaid singing "Little Mermaid" in Hebrew made by 15-year-old Samar.

• Samar, Jerusalem Train Theater:

  Even though we are so sad because everything is going on in here and the hostages, we still want to make people happy and let them forget for a second about what is going on in here and be happy.

• Nick Schifrin:

  In Tel Aviv, happiness for the Keler family is embracing the dark side. That's dad Uri (ph) as a Stormtrooper. The Darth Vaders are mom Ronny and 7-year-old Adar (ph). Here too there are reminders of the hostages, but also the opportunity for boys to be boys.

• Ronny Keller, Tel Aviv, Israel, Resident:

  There is this duality that you just live on a daily basis. On one hand, you have got a kid that you need and want that they will feel normal, they will feel safe, and they will experience life and the tradition like Purim. And on the other hand, you will just think of the hostages in Gaza.

• Nick Schifrin:

  The Tel Aviv event was festive, but relatively small, a way for families to be together six months after the worst terrorist attack in Israel's history.

• Ronny Keller:

  All the people that's paid with their life and all the sacrifice that were made, at the end of the day, they will all want that we will have a life in here.

  Nicole Carbone, Daughter of October 7: This year is going to be different. It's not going to be the same again.

• Nick Schifrin:

  That sacrifice is felt all too acutely by Nicole Carbone. This is the road to Southern Israel…

• Nicole Carbone:

  They opened up this gate.

• Nick Schifrin:

  … and Kibbutz Be'eri.

  On October the 7th, Hamas gunmen stormed into Be'eri. Across the street from that gate was the house where Carbone grew up.

• Nicole Carbone:

  This was my room. This is where they entered.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Carbone shows us her childhood room that led to the safe room that wasn't safe enough. The gunmen kicked it in. That's his boot print. And inside was her mother, Galit.

• Nicole Carbone:

  My cousin called my sister and she called me and she said that they found mom in the kibbutz, and she's dead. And it was — it was terrible.

• Nick Schifrin:

  That day in Be'eri, gunmen massacred more than 100 residents and kidnapped more than 30.

• Nicole Carbone:

  Everything is just burnt.

• Nick Schifrin:

  This is all that's left of her father's house. Her parents were divorced. Despite it all, her heart will always be here.

• Nicole Carbone:

  Lucky he got out in one piece, healthy and safe. But they burned out the whole house. You can see inside everything is just black.

• MAN:

  In other words, five months later…

• Nicole Carbone:

  Crazy.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Before the terror, Purim was one of Carbone's favorite holidays. This year, she won't celebrate, but she thinks that Israel still should.

• Nicole Carbone:

  The real heroes is the people who try and get above all this grief and sadness. For me, seeing other people in costume, it makes me smile. It makes me more happy, but I just couldn't do it myself.

• Nick Schifrin:

  The war continues, but, for this Purim, there was a moment of joy, even through the tears.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.