Holiday on the frontlines: 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers given Purim gifts

Around 1,000 Purim baskets were delivered to Jewish Ukrainian soldiers serving on the frontlines of the war against Russia, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine (FJCU) said on Thursday.

The mishloah manot (traditional gift baskets, typically full of sweets, that Jews give one another so that all can participate in a Purim holiday feast) were delivered to outposts spanning across 1,200 kilometers along the frontlines in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv.

“In recent months, the bombings of Ukrainian cities have increased, but despite this, we are here for every Jew throughout Ukraine – in an effort to bring them the word... and the joy of Purim together with everyone, wherever they are. We pray that even before Purim, we will be able to celebrate the Purim miracle of our generation – with freedom,” FJCU rabbi Meir Stambler said.

FJCU said that the project to find hundreds of soldiers along the front was difficult enough, but was complicated by restrictions on civilian access to these combat zones.

What treats will the soldiers be enjoying?

The gift baskets included hamentashen, chocolates, snacks, cookies, locally produced vodka, and the Book of Esther in Ukrainian.

Rabbi Yakov Siniakov, who works with the FJCU and with Jewish soldiers, banded together with eight volunteers to reach all the recipients. In accordance with another Jewish commandment, they held megillah readings at several points on the front.

FJCU said that it was holding the megillah reading in almost 60 cities and towns in Ukraine. Beyond gifting the soldiers, the organization distributed 40,000 additional Purim baskets across 180 Jewish communities.

“Many Megillah readings will be held not only in the cities where the [Chabad] emissaries live, but also in nearby cities where there are large Jewish communities, all this to bring the mitzvot of the Purim, and the joy of Purim, to many Jews as possible,” said Stambler.

This is the third Purim that Ukrainian Jews have had to celebrate during the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.