Mishloach Manot. Photo: wiki commons.

The Zionist Organization of America’s (ZOA) Brooklyn Region will be distributing 5,000 Mishloach Manot (picture below) baskets to Israeli soldiers serving on bases in Israel as part of the annual Purim tradition.

Now in its 12th year, dozens of American Jewish schools and congregations participate in the ZOA Purim IDF Project to help fund raise and encourage students to write personal notes and letters to the soldiers, expressing gratitude and support. Then, Rubin Margules, president of ZOA’s Brooklyn Region, and a group of volunteers will take part in personally distributing Mishloach Manot to base camps throughout Israel.

Chocolate and Bazooka bubble gum are said to be making an appearance in the baskets being assembled by the young volunteers.

“If there was a Guinness Book of World Records for the most Mishloach Manot baskets delivered, I think we’d win.” Margules says. “You can’t measure the incredible gratitude, appreciation and endless thanks that soldiers display when they receive their Mishloach Manot and read the letters of thanks. I get to distribute the baskets myself meet the soldiers and experience their heartfelt appreciation. It’s the least we can do to give back to those who risk their lives for Israel and it’s what keeps me coming back year after year.”

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials, the media, and college/high school students about the facts of the Arab-Israel conflict. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations through educational activities, public affairs and lobbying. Under the leadership of Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbis Abba Hillel Silver and Stephen Wise, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has been – and continues to be – on the front lines of Jewish activism.