Zionist Organization of America - Brooklyn Region

Over the past 10 years, with your help and support we have brought the joy of Purim to tens of thousands of soldiers throughout Israel.

We hope to make this Purim the most successful and joyous ever. Each Mishloach Manot package is personally distributed by participants in our Purim mission. Last year, over 5,000 packages were distributed at army bases and checkpoints throughout the country. In addition, Mishloach Manot baskets were delivered to over 500 children in Kiryat gat, Sderot, Gedera, Kiryat Melachi and Netivot, where they were entertained by parties filled with song, dance and fun. This year, our goal is to distribute 10,000 Purim baskets to soldiers throughout Israel in honor of our ten years’ milestone.

To celebrate this special occasion, the ZOA is introducing a new project of which we are very excited. We will distribute warm fleece jackets in addition to our Purim baskets. These jackets are paid for by the soldiers themselves, some of whom cannot afford the expense, and are not issued as part of their uniform.

Purim 2009 was truly an amazing experience. With Purim music streaming from the truck, we drove from base to base delivering Mishloach Manot. As we pulled in, soldiers poured out of the buildings. There was singing, there was dancing, there were huge smiles all around.

Many soldiers we visited fought in Gaza, and the Mishloach Manot was a way to show our gratitude and recognize their efforts. It takes an army to fight a war, and OU Israel, together with ZOA and Emunah representatives, went to bases large and small and to lonely hilltop outpost to express our solidarity and support. Their appreciation was unbelievable. The Mishloach Manot included food, letters from students, and a tehillim.

Perhaps one of the most moving aspects was the soldiers’ reaction to the letters they received. ZOA spearheaded a letter writing campaign among Yeshivas in the New York region, participating school included: Brandeis School, Central High School for Girls, Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, Plainview, NY; Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, Magen David High School, Mesivta Tiferes Yisroel, Nefesh Academy, Prospect Park Yeshiva, Ramaz Middle School, Shulamith School for Girls, Sinai Academy, Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, Yeshiva of Belle Harbor, Yeshiva of Flatbush and Yeshiva of South Shore and hundred of children wrote letters.

“At one base, a jeep drove up and a soldier said he couldn’t believe we were there. He told his commanding officer and the officer couldn’t believe it either. He had to see it with his own eyes. He asked if we could come to his outpost and give out Mishloach Manot to his unit,” explained Stan Hillelsohn, chairman of the OU Israel Commission. “It was supposed to be an early day because we had only arrived in Israel that morning, but we went over there and the soldiers were singing and dancing with us.”

The mission was organized in coordination with Rubin Margules, ZOA national board member and Brooklyn Region President, and in conjuction with Volunteers for Israel and Orthodox Union.

Rubin Margules, President of the Brooklyn Region of the Zionist Organization of America, returned from the group's annual Purim Mishloach Manot Mission for Israeli soldiers. Mission participants included his daughter Rachyl, Reya Zegel, her daughter Michelle, and Judith Shapiro who is co- chairman of the NYC Jewish Community Relations Council. Rabbi Moshe Zwick of the Shulamit School for Girls and his lovely wife Chaya joined us on our trip to Kever Rachel, and to the soldiers stationed there; after which we continued on to Kiryat Arba, Hevron and the Maarat Hamachpela.

The trip was the culmination of a Mishloach Manot campaign coordinated by the ZOA Brooklyn Region that involved a dozen Yeshivas in the Metropolitan New York area, and numerous individual contributors. The success of the Mission owes a large debt to the Sar-El office of the Israeli Army whose logistical support for our mission was critical. The group visited dozens of Israeli Army bases throughout Israel, ranging from main base camps to small outposts on cold wind swept hilltops in Yesha, distributing literally thousands of Shalah Manot packages. We also had the privilege to visit and distribute Mishloach Manot to Israeli and American soldiers manning a Patriot Missile Battery in Jaffo.

The purpose of this Mission was to show the Israeli soldiers that we care, that they are not alone, and that we are all part of the Jewish culture. It succeeded well beyond our expectations. It was our intention to say thank you to the soldiers, but they in turn could not stop saying thank you to us, for coming and for caring. The young defenders of Israel sincerely expressed their thanks and appreciation verbally as well as with song and dance. This was a mission to show Achdus with our brethren in Israel who are not only guarding Eretz Yisroel, the land of Israel, as one of the letters stated, but also the nation of Israel. The knowledge that they have thousands of friends and admirers in New York, some of whom were willing to join them in these difficult times, was a source of strength to them and an overwhelming emotional experience for us.

In addition to the Mishloach Manot each soldier also received an individual letter of friendship and support from a student in a Yeshiva or a message from an adult who participated in the project. The letters were as eagerly received as the packages. Many of the soldiers immediately responded to the message received, and hopefully a correspondence will develop.

Special thanks to the following Yeshivas, their faculty and student leaders that participated in this project and whose students were taught Achdus, that the strength of our people is its oneness:

Mesivta Rambam of Lawrence NY, Yeshiva of Flatbush H.S., H.A.L.B., Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns, H.A.N.C., Yeshiva High School for Girls, {Central}, Derech Hatorah; Bais Ezra; Stern College, Yeshiva of Manhattan Beach, RAMAZ Middle School, Kinneret School, and The Stella K. Abraham H.S. for Girls.

May all of you be blessed for the joy, which you brought to Tzahal, and next year may we celebrate Purim Sameach with Shalom al Yisroel. Peace for Israel.