Purim Connection

More Than 1000 Mishloach Manot Delivered to Southern Israel for Purim

For more than 25 years, the American Zionist Movement has proudly been donating mishloach manot (traditional Purimgift baskets) to Israeli children and soldiers for Purim. Because of the numerous recent attacks faced by those living in the south of Israel, this year AZM focused on Ashkelon and its surrounding areas in order to show solidarity with residents there. More than 1,000 mishloach manot were distributed to a variety of organizations and community centers in need of extra support.

AZM donated the majority of mishloach manot to organizations in and around Ashkelon related to children. Children at Neve Hanna, a children’s home located in Kiryat Gat, and in the children’s ward of Barzilai Hospital, were delighted to receive their candy and noisemakers. The gifts enhanced the Purim celebration at the Kehillat Netzach Israel Ashkelon Preschool as well as at several NA’AMAT daycare centers. At the Ashkelon Family Nest, which assists young mothers and their children, recipients both enjoyed the surprise and were educated on the importance of volunteering and helping others. Ethiopian immigrant children at the Beit Canada Absorption Center celebrated Purim for the first time, and their mishloach manot made the experience even more exciting.

As in the past, in conjunction with Yashar LaChayal, an organization that provides necessities to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, AZM donated mishloach manot to soldiers on Israel’s front lines. Lone Soldiers who are based in the Ashkelon area also were recipients of AZM gifts.

The mishloach manot were distributed by Marty and Terri Davis, who, in their capacity as Ashkelon community activists, are passionate about helping their community. In a letter of thanks to AZM, they shared how important the packages were to recipients.

[The mishloach manot] put smiles on the faces of many children and Soldiers. Try to imagine a child in the hospital missing out on the Purim festivities and, from over the ocean, special gifts arrive to help them celebrate! Even those with serious health problems were able to smile.…For us it is an emotional experience, and we would like to thank AZM on behalf of all the children and soldiers in Ashkelon for bringing them such joy and happiness.

To help AZM continue its mission of supporting and promoting Zionism, donate here.

: Kehillat Netzach Israel Ashkelon Preschool Children

: Barzilai Hospital Children’s Ward

: Beit Canada Absorption Center

: Neve Hanna

: Naamat Moan Yom Shir

: Naamat Moan Yom Kehillati

: Naamat Moan Yom Tzil

: IDF Soldiers

: IDF Soldiers

Tagged With: Purim. Purim connection;

DONATE NOW: Purim 2013 Heads South to Ashkelon and Beyond

Dear Friend:

This winter brought an historically large blanket of snow to Jerusalem and northern Israel. The Kinneret reached record levels.

IDF Soldiers in front of large mound of snow

IDF soldiers in the snow

As we view these positive images, let’s not forget that it was just a few short weeks ago that Israeli children in the southern part of the country were terrorized by missile attacks numbering in the hundreds. Many lived in safe rooms and shelters for close to two weeks.

There was no school to attend. The sanitary and living conditions were primitive. And the rockets kept coming. Yet the children found it within themselves to stand up to the attacks and resumed their lives as soon as they were able. It takes a special strength to do this: Jewish strength supported by a Zionist spirit.

As American Jews and Zionists we can reward and strengthen that resolve through the AZM Purim Connection. Each year we send mishloach manot (the traditional Purim gift of sweets and other goodies) to Lone Soldiers, to the frontlines of the IDF and to children facing unusual struggles or challenges during the year, like those in Ashkelon and other southern communities.

With your purchase of mishloach manot for a child or soldier you create an indelible memory of the gift from abroad. You demonstrate your solidarity, your caring and your connection to the people of Israel.

For $36, $54, $108 or more you can participate in the Purim traditional custom mishloach manot and at the same time stand in support and solidarity of our fellow Jews in Israel. Please consider your tax-deductible donation to the 2013 American Zionist Movement’s Purim Connection 5773. You may send a check or make your gift on our web site: www.azm.org/purim2013.

Zionists are the activists who act. Make a difference. Bring a smile to a young Israeli face. Act now and support the Purim Connection. It is a perfect activity for a religious school or day school class. There are lots of ways to help, taking the first step is vital. Do it now.

Please make your gift by February 22, 2013.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Vernon Kurtz, President

Karen J. Rubinstein, Executive Director

IDF Soldiers Receive Purim Gifts

As part of AZM’s Purim Connection, IDF soldiers serving on the front lines are provided with traditional Purim mishloach manot giftsto let them know we in the Diaspora care.

Purim 2012 Brings Gifts and Goodies to Soldiers and Children

A volunteer poses with soldiers who came to take the Purim gifts back to their units.

The 2012 Purim Connection was another stunning success with lots of thank yous coming in from across Israel.

AZM with help from AMIT, Mercaz, and many individuals and synagogues across the country brought Purim joy to schools in Kiryat Malachi, soldiers in the front line units across the country, and to many Lone Soldiers (IDF soldiers who serve without the support of their families.)

An important part of our Purim Connection is the role that young Jews studying or volunteering in Israel play in the packaging and delivery of the Purim mishloach manot. This year’s volunteers from Magshimey Herut, Habonim-Dror and the kibbutz ulpan program were all on extended stays in Israel as part of MASA Israel Journey programs. Among the volunteers to AZM’s Purim Connection were: Raphael Falk, Andrew DuFour, Benjamin Scholom, Brett Godette, Yossi Cohen, Izzy Eisen, and Eugene Kikoin.

One of the Lone Soldiers, Gidi, who received an AZM Purim package posted on the Kehillat Netzach’s Facebook Page, expressing his happiness and gratitude. When you see comments like these you know how important it is to participate in these programs:

soldier with gift

הפורים בכלל לא היה מורגש, ולקבל חבילה מושקעת שכזאת. אוהב אתכם ומוקיר תודה. גידי איגנשטיין
thank you everyone for the great parcel for purim! it feels amazing to return from a hard week of training and still get to feel the happiness of purim with your kindness. gidi eigenstein.

We hope that next year even more congregations and individuals will help to us tell send the message to those in Israel that even though we live here in America, we are always thinking of Israel’s soldiers and citizens who are truly on the front lines of the Jewish people.

Thanks to all who helped bring this to reality!

Four children from an AMIT elementary school in Kiryat Malachi in Purim costumes..

For the Jews There was Gladness and Light…..

Dear AZM Friend,

Imagine a soldier standing guard. It’s dark and silent. There is no town, no synagogue, nothing within a 40 kilometer radius. A rocket streaks overhead reminding him, again, why he is here. Purim is coming and Ronen is remembering the Purim parties he had with his friends back home. He’s thinking about his ima’s oznei haman (hamentashen) and wishing he could bite into one now. Ronen’s fellow soldier, Alexsey, is thinking about his parents, but they are far away in Smolensk. His whole unit feels a bit sad to be away from friends and family today, but then a truck draws up. The unit commander has brought special treats for all from America!

For more than two decades The American Zionist Movement (AZM) has sought to touch these front line soldiers with its Purim Connection – an opportunity for American Jews to demonstrate their solidarity with Israelis who serve on the frontline in defense of Israel and with the youngest and most at-risk Israelis.

This year the Purim Connection is also making a special effort to reach “Lone Soldiers.” There are 2,500 soldiers serving in the IDF who have no family in Israel. Some are new immigrants from North America; others are from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and other countries. They are particularly vulnerable and it is especially meaningful when they receive a holiday package. In addition, children with special needs in the south will also receive gifts from you.

Wouldn’t you like to do something special this Purim? Even a small donation will help a young child or a lonely soldier feel cared for and remembered.

Not only will these gifts improve the spirits of the receivers – they also support the Israeli economy, as all products used are made in Israel. In addition, in Israel, the mishloach manot packages will be delivered by young Jews: members of Zionist youth movements and students on year programs. This is one more tangible way in which we are building the connections between our young people and our homeland.

Please make your contribution online – go to www.azm.org/purim2012. Or send a check in the mail to: American Zionist Movement Purim Connection, 633 Third Avenue – 21^st floor, New York, NY, 10017-8157.

Your mishloach manot gift will tell an Israeli soldier or child that you care. It’s a gesture that will long be remembered. But the deadline is coming up quickly. We ask that donations be received no later than March 15, 2012. Please don’t delay!

We thank you; and Ronen, the children of Kiryat Gat and Kiryat Malachi, and all of Israel thanks you as well.

Chag sameach and Zion greetings.

Special note: AZM is very appreciative for the assistance provided by the volunteers from Magshemei Herut and by Yashar L’Chayal in Israel, and for the support provided by AZM member organizations, particularly AMIT and Mercaz USA.

For the Jews There Was Gladness and Light, Joy and Honor

Child dressed up for Purim	Purchase Purim Basket for An Israeli Child in School ($18 per basket):
Child in hospital on Purim	Purchase Purim Basket for An Israeli Child in Hospital ($36 per basket):
A soldier receiving a Purim Basket in 2009	Purchase Purim Basket for An Israeli Lone Soldier ($54 per basket):
Class in Ashkelon	Help Purchase Purim Baskets for A School Class $180
Members of the Venus Tank Unit mug for the camera after receiving their Purim gifts.	Help Purchase Purim Baskets for An IDF Unit $360

I wish to support the Purim Connection and the AZM with a contribution of:

AZM Purim Connection 2010

Purim 2010 — Another AZM Success

This year AZM’s Purim Connection focused on Israel’s “Lone Soldiers,” soldiers serving in the IDF who are living in Israel without their parents. Demanding as army service is, imagine how much more difficult it is when you lack the ongoing support of a family.

In addition, AZM brought Purim Goodies to children in hospital in Afula. This mitzvah was carried out with the help of youth movement activists from a nearby moshav. Also benefiting form this year’s program was schoolchildren in Afula, and needy families in Yokneam.

See photos from all of these programs.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Visit the Purim Connection 2009 Photo Gallery

AZM BRINGS PURIM JOY
TO OVER 3,000 IN ISRAEL’S SOUTH

22nd Purim Connection: Another Success

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karen Rubinstein, American Zionist Movement
For more information, please call: 212.318.6100

(New York, NY March 9, 2009) This winter AZM launched its 22nd Purim Connection with a focus on the hard struck communities of southern Israel. Recalling the phrase from the Megillah “For the Jews there was Light, Gladness, Joy and Honor – so may it be for us,” AZM called on Jews to bring light to communities, homes and institutions that were enshrouded in darkness over the past weeks and months.

Despite the difficult economic times AZM Purim Connection was able to bring lots of light and joy to thousands of individuals in Ashkelon, Sderot and other locations in southern Israel. AZM worked closely with the WZO Department for Zionist Activities to identify thousands of children, single parent families, Ethiopian olim and others to receive mishloach manot and a special, ecologically friendly flashlight from the American Zionist Movement. The flashlight, which requires no batteries, will ensure that these homes will always have some light even in the darkest of times.

Baskets of goodies were delivered to four NA’AMAT kindergartens, two AMIT elementary schools in Beersheva, a TALI kindergarten, and the Neve Hanna Youth Village. The almost 200 students of the AMIT Technological High School in AShkelon, which suffered tremendous damage after being hit by a Grad missile less than two weeks ago, were also beneficiaries of the Purim Connection. The AMIT school is a “last chance” school for students who have not met academic requirements or have been expelled from their schools. The students, 30 % of whom are new immigrants, are given the chance to learn skills and get bagrut technology credits so that they can improve their lives.

Goodies will also be distributed to the thousand children in Sderot who will participate in a Purim Festival at the newly opened indoor playground, built by the Jewish National Fund.

For more information about the AZM, its Purim Connection and other programs, please visit the AZM website www.azm.org.

Many of the projects mentioned above are part of the ongoing work of the Zionist Movement in the United States. The American Zionist Movement is a coalition of groups and individuals committed to Zionism: the idea that the Jewish people is one people with a shared history, values and language with Israel at its center. AZM is the American affiliate of the World Zionist Organization, the Zionist Federation in the United States. Its members span the political spectrum from right to left, and includes all of the major streams of Judaism.