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 February 27, 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.

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.

Dear AZM Friend,

Imagine a soldier standing guard. It’s dark and silent. Alexsey is thinking about his parents, but they are far away in Smolensk. It’s Purim and others in the unit are receiving gifts from family, or getting leave to travel home, but this soldier remains alone. Alexsey knew he was Jewish while growing up, but his

Members of the Venus Tank Unit mug for the camera after receiving their Purim gifts.

family never spoke of it. At 14 a friend brought him to a Jewish Agency youth club; at 19 he made aliyah to Israel, and today Alexsey is serving as a Lone Soldier in the IDF. Similar stories can be told about Daria from the Ukraine, Avi from LA or Roman from Kazakhstan.

But imagine the smile on the lips of any one of these soldiers when handed a package from a stranger from America, a mishloach manot Purim gift basket filled with goodies. There are some 2,500 Lone Soldiers serving in the IDF, soldiers who have made Israel their home without their families.
For more than two decades The American Zionist Movement (AZM) has sought to touch these Lone Soldiers and others 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 young Israelis living in stressful situations.
The Purim Connection is making a special effort this year to reach Lone Soldiers with Purim cheer. AZM is working closely with the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Lone Soldier Outreach Program to reach as many soldiers as possible. The Purim Connection will also bring baskets to disadvantaged children living in

Child dressed up for Purim

the North of Israel—children in a hospital in Afula, or studying in Tzfat, Rosh Pinna and other communities on the northern border.
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, it will also help 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.

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 February 19, 2010.  Please don’t delay! Scroll down and please your payment today.

We thank you; and Alexsey, Daria, Avi, Roman and all of Israel thanks you as well.

With Zion greetings,

Evelyn Blachor,  Chair Janet Tobin and Joan Wachstein, Co-Chair

William D. Hess, AZM  President

Please make your contribution by visiting our payment page.

View Photo Gallery from Last Year’s AZM Purim Connection

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.