Instead of Using Noisemakers for a Jewish Holiday, These Soldiers Thought Machine Guns Might Be a Better Idea

The Jewish holiday of Purim was celebrated on Sunday and like every year the faithful gather to hear public readings of the biblical Book of Esther which recounts the story of the evil Haman who plotted to annihilate the Jews of the Persian kingdom.

As part of the tradition, whenever the name Haman is read, congregants make as much noise as possible to drown out his name (and figuratively his memory), using noisemakers known as groggers.

A group of soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) decided to kick the tradition up a notch, holding a reading of the Esther story at an IDF firing range. Whenever the name Haman was heard, you got it, they fired in unison at their targets, drowning out the villain’s name “better than any grogger ever could,” as the Times of Israel noted.

Though it’s unclear when the reading took place, the Times of Israel reported that the soldiers are members of the religious “Netzah Yehuda” brigade.

News agencies captured these photos of Israelis celebrating the holiday over the weekend dressed in costumes ranging from clowns to zombies to caged animals.

Dressed up Israelis take part in a parade to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim in al-Shuhada street, in the West Bank town of Hebron, on March 16, 2014. The carnival-like Purim holiday is celebrated with parades and costume parties to commemorate the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to exterminate them in the ancient Persian empire 2,500 years ago, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther. (AFP Photo: Hazem Bader)

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish girl wearing a costume, sits in a cage, marking the Purim festival in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 16, 2014. The Jewish holiday of Purim commemorates the Jews' salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther which is read in synagogues. Other customs include sending food parcels and giving charity, dressing up in masks and costumes, eating a festive meal and public celebration. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

People wear zombie make-up and outfits, and some wear Israeli military uniforms in the 2014 Zombie Walk during the Purim festival in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, March 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Other traditions marking the Purim festival which is associated with great joy and celebration include town parades, giving food baskets to neighbors and the poor, and the consumption of alcohol.

(H/T: Times of Israel)