Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday distributed Purim food packages, or mishloach manot, to Israelis wounded in Iranian missile attacks.
“In recent days, we visited Ichilov, Hadassah and Soroka hospitals,” Herzog tweeted. “We met with patients, including those wounded in ‘Operation Roaring Lion,’ and distributed mishloach manot to them.”
The head of state noted that he and his wife, Michal, experienced “uplifting encounters filled with strength, medical professionalism, and great hope.”
“This Purim,” he said, “we are more determined than ever to remember and remind others: the light is always stronger than the darkness.
“Wishing good health and a joyful Purim to all the people of Israel,” added Herzog.
Purim marks the Jewish people’s deliverance in the fifth-century Persian Empire. According to the Book of Esther, the Persian viceroy Haman the Agagite plotted to annihilate the Jews.
Through a series of miraculous events, the Jews survived, and Haman was ultimately hanged on the gallows he had built for his arch-enemy, Mordechai.
The central religious observances of Purim—which falls from Monday to Tuesday night in most locations, and from Tuesday to Wednesday in walled cities such as Jerusalem—include hearing the biblical Scroll of Esther, sharing a festive meal, sending mishloach manot, and giving charity to the poor.
With all official Purim celebrations banned by the Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command due to the ongoing fighting with the Islamic Republic, many Israelis celebrated on Monday evening in shelters.
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber had called on the public to strictly adhere to the Home Front Command guidelines and read from Megillat Esther as close as possible to a public bomb shelter or safe room.
