Days before Purim, Israelis gave the holiday’s most recognizable pastry a new, very 2026 name. Across X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, hamantaschen, known in Hebrew as oznei Haman (Haman’s ears), were repeatedly rebranded as “Oznei Khamenei," a pun aimed at Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the Israel-Iran war dominated the news cycle.
The meme accelerated as Israel’s campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Roaring Lion, unfolded and as US involvement became a central part of the story. In the same feeds where users tracked alerts and updates, they also swapped recipes, posted bakery jokes, and shared mock “product launches” for the renamed cookies.
A Purim classic, renamed for the moment
Hamantaschen are the triangular Purim pastries traditionally associated with the villain of the Book of Esther. The plot takes place in ancient Persia, what is known as today's Iran. Esther's grave in Iran is a pilgrimage site for Jews and Muslims alike. In Israel, many people call them oznei Haman. This week, posts and videos began replacing Haman with Khamenei, turning “Haman’s ears” into “Khamenei’s ears” while keeping the cookie’s familiar shape and Purim timing.
On X, one user joked about Israel’s operation name, asking how “Oznei Khamenei” was not chosen instead.
Another post captured how quickly the phrase became a shared reference point, with users already asking where they could buy “Oznei Khamenei.”
Recipes, reels, and a new nickname: ‘Khamentashen’
Instagram helped push the trend from punchline to kitchen. Multiple creators uploaded reels presenting “Oznei Khamenei” as a Purim recipe concept, sometimes framed as a playful “update” to the traditional cookie.
In English-language posts, a parallel nickname appeared, “Khamentashen”, blending Khamenei with hamantaschen. Pro-Israel activist Rawan Osman shared a line that circulated widely in screenshots: “This Purim, we should bake Oznei Khamenei.”
Videos joined in, too
The joke was not limited to text posts. A YouTube Short repeated the phrase directly, pairing it with the cookie image and Purim framing.
Facebook videos also echoed the wording. One clip opened with “Oznei Khamenei” and presented the cookies as a Purim-season gag tied to the week’s headlines.
Why this joke took off
Purim humor has always leaned on parody, inversion, and public mocking of power. This year’s online rename landed in a week when Israelis were simultaneously bracing for escalation and watching major geopolitical developments unfold, including reports about the fate of Iran’s leadership during the opening days of the US-Israel strikes.
Even for users who never planned to bake, “Oznei Khamenei” became a shorthand. It signified the approaching Purim, conveyed the news, and provided a swift respite during a tense week. The phrase was repeated enough times across platforms that it started functioning like a mini catchphrase for Purim 5786.
Purim 2026 will begin on the evening of March 2 and continued through March 3, with Shushan Purim observed in Jerusalem on March 4.