8 Ways to Show Israelis You Care, Purim Style
By Israel Forever
Purim is a special time in the Jewish calendar. It is a is time of celebration, joy, costumes and for some drinking too much. But it is also about the mitzvah of giving to others, giving back and increasing joy for our fellow Jew.
The mitzvah of giving mishloach manot derives from the Book of Esther. It is meant to ensure that everyone has enough food for the Purim feast held later in the day, and to increase love and friendship among Jews as a counter to Haman's assertion that the Jewish people are characterized by strife and disunity.
So today, thousands of years later, we still want to unify as Jews all over the world, and show Israelis we care. For Purim, Israel Forever would like to share with you, ways of giving a mishloach manot that can benefit the people of Israel, give back, and serve as a unique way of sharing our love, happiness and future together.
According to the Rambam: “gifts for the poor deserve more attention than the festive meal & gifts for friends because there is no greater, richer happiness than bringing joy to the hearts of needy people, orphans, widows and proselytes.”
Not just about sweet treats, these baskets are full of strength, unity and charity!
Check out this year’s featured favorite ways of giving Mishloach Manot, Matanot L'Evyonim, or just some love and joy for Purim.
FEATURED CAMPAIGNS: SHOW ISRAEL YOU CARE
Show Israelis You Care
Israel Forever is proud to present Purim ecards to support the Healing Arts Mosaics program. This program, through the therapeutic art of mosaics, has already made an impact on hundreds of displaced families across Israel.
Each card purchased allows us to continue this meaningful program.
Note: This ecard campaign supports programming and is a way of sharing Purim joy with your friends and family while also impacting the lives of Israelis in crisis. The campaign proceeds are NOT considered Matanot L'Evyonim.
We also would like to offer you the opportunity to bring this therapeutic program to your own community, as you help an Israeli community receive the healing they need.
Mishloach Manot mugs? Israel-inspired costume items? Jewish Peoplehood and Pride party decor?
1. YAD EZRA V’SHULAMIT: Bring Purim Joy to Orphans and Widows This Year
Organization: Yad Ezra V’Shulamit addresses the needs of impoverished families, regardless of religious affiliation, ethnicity, age, and location of residence. They distribute 3,000 food baskets every week, and 15,000 more during holiday seasons. The children who attend Yad Ezra V’Shulamit Children’s Centers are provided with a nutritious meal, academic tutoring, and an enriching social environment.
Mishloach Manot: Purim is hard for poor children. It's painful to watch their friends have fun with bags full of treats, while they just wish for a simple meal at home to fill their empty stomachs. Yad Ezra V'Shulamit provides needy families with a food basket filled with groceries including grape juice, chicken, challah, fruits and vegetables. Help ensure no child in Israel is hungry on Purim.
This year there are more widows and orphans than ever before. Yad Ezra wishes to make sure that all of these families have a happy, dignified Purim. Your donation will help them experience true Purim joy with Mishloach Manot, food vouchers, and more. You can also choose to give your donation as Matanot Le’Evyonim, to be distributed as cash to these needy individuals on Purim itself.
2. TORAT REVA: Making sure no one in Jerusalem feels abandoned.
Organization: Torat Reva Yerushalayim provides Torah study groups for the elderly residents of southern Jerusalem in nursing homes, senior centers and assisted living communities. Along with their classes, they publish a weekly Dvar Torah available on the web or via email called Parsha Points, have special events in the Jerusalem area and offer a unique Bat-Mitzvah Program for women of all ages.
Mishloach Manot: Torat Reva Yerushalayim will hand deliver packages to the neglected elderly of Jerusalem, for many the only gifts they will receive. The packages will include healthy snacks, gifts and Purim treats. Torat Reva has expanded their impact since October 7 and will also provide Mishloach Manot for the evacuated families staying in Jerusalem hotels. Additionally, special Purim baskets are being made to be delivered to the IDF soldiers responsible for protecting Jerusalem.
3. LEKET ISRAEL: Support needy families by salvaging unused food.
Organization: Founded in 2003, Leket Israel serves as the country's largest food bank and food rescue network actively working to alleviate the problem of nutritional insecurity among Israel's diverse population. Statistics reveal that a quarter of Israel’s 7.7 million citizens (1.9 million people) are living in poverty; among them are some 850,000 hungry children. Leket Israel serves all population groups at-risk in Israel regardless of gender, ethnic background, or religion.
Mishloach Manot: This Purim, help Leket Israel salvage food for Israel's poor and send Purim greetings. Leket is selling printed and e-cards for Purim, that you can send to and share with your loved ones while helping their amazing cause. For every $36.00 of e-card purchases, 25 hot meals will be served to Israel’s most needy.
4. YAD ELIEZER: Providing primary economic and social service programs to at risk families.
Organization: Yad Eliezer began in 1980, in the kitchen of the Weisel family of Jerusalem. They prepared a food basket for a neighbor who could not feed her children. Soon, they were delivering monthly food baskets to hungry families. Yad Eliezer has now grown to encompass nineteen primary economic and social service programs that impact tens of thousands of individuals. Yad Eliezer is one of Israel's largest poverty relief agencies, whose mandate is to help families cope with financial difficulties and empower them to break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency. We make a difference. So can you.
Mishloach Manot: Yad Eliezer believes that every Jew deserves to celebrate Purim with joy. But this year, challenges relating to the war including an increase in prices on basic necessities like food and electricity have caused the number of struggling families to increase drastically as well. Your purchase of Purim cards online, for as little as $10 for a set of 3, will help bring a proper Purim seudah to families throughout Israel.
HELP US CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES YOU NEED
5. AMERICAN ZIONIST MOVEMENT
Organization: The American Zionist Movement (AZM) is comprised of 27 national Jewish Zionist organizations and works across a broad ideological, political and religious spectrum linking the American Jewish community together in support of Israel, Zionism and the Jewish people. For nearly 30 years the “Purim Connection” program of the American Zionist Movement (AZM) has helped maintain our personal ties to the people and land of Israel by providing Mishloach Manot packages to those living in Eretz Yisrael.
Mishloach Manot: This year AZM’s Purim Connection will be providing Mishloach Manot to the brave Tatzpitaniyot (IDF Women Spotters)— who stand watch to protect the people of Israel. In partnership with American Zionist Movement, ESEK, and Otef Aza for the Lookouts,they are raising funds to send Mishloach Manot to these incredible soldiers.
A single Purim basket costs $36. Please consider a gift of at least $180, so as to gift as many as possible to these brave soldiers who deserve some uplifting.
6. MIGDAL OHR: Providing support for Israel's orphaned, neglected, and at-risk children and youth.
Organization: Migdal Ohr was founded in 1972 by Israel Prize Laureate Rabbi Yitzchak David Grossman.
7. ONEFAMILY: Overcoming Terror Together
Organization: OneFamily’s goal is to support and empower victims of terror and bereaved families, so that they can achieve their emotional and financial independence, and successfully reintegrate into society. OneFamily provides a comprehensive blend of therapeutic programs and financial legal and medical assistance, Tailor made for each family member and delivered in their hallmark “family” atmosphere of trust and togetherness, they offer an array of therapeutic programs designed for orphans, bereaved parents and siblings, widows and widowers, and the wounded themselves.
Mishloach Manot and More: Since October 7, there has been increasing demand for OneFamily's services. This Purim, support their initiative to send over 5,000 Mishloach Manot baskets across Israel. Each one is lovingly crafted, contains heartfelt messages, and is hand-delivered to even the most remote areas. Your donation not only provides delicious treats, but also serves as a powerful reminder to those affected by terror that they are not alone.
You can also choose to support these efforts by purchasing Purim cards or giving Matanot L'Evyonim.
8. PANTRY PACKERS: Providing nutritional support to Israel's neediest families.
Organization: Pantry Packers is the food distribution arm of Tzedakah Central/Colel Chabad, the oldest continuously operating network of social services in Israel – established in 1788. Every month Pantry Packers delivers crates containing all the necessary foods and household maintenance supplies to Israel’s poorest families and senior citizens.
Purim E-Cards: Send cards to family and friends and share your Purim mitzvahs in their honor. For every $36 donated, Pantry Packers will provide matanot l’evyonim to 1 family, mishloach manot to a widow and her children, and a festive meal for a Holocaust survivor in one of Pantry Packers' 23 free dining halls throughout Israel.
SHOW ISRAELIS YOU CARE
