Knesset members gift Purim baskets ahead of joyous Jewish holiday

Israeli lawmakers from the coalition and opposition exchanged mishloach manot, gift baskets filled with food, on Thursday ahead of the Purim holiday, for which celebrations started on Thursday.

National Unity Party Chairman Benny Gantz, a former War Cabinet member who now sits in the opposition, delivered a Purim gift basket to MK Almog Cohen of the right-wing opposition Otzma Yehudit Party.

“Purim is a holiday of unity,” explained Gantz. Almog and I don’t agree on everything, but on this day, it’s worth focusing on what unites us. Just like Esther told Mordechai: ‘Go gather all the Jews,’ I gathered Almog.

“I also ask you at home: Even if you disagree, stick together. There’s one thing everyone agrees on: There’s nothing like a lemon waffle,” Gantz said.

Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer (Religious Zionism Party) and former War Cabinet member Gadi Eizenkot, a lawmaker from Gantz’s National Unity, whose offices are adjacent, also exchanged gifts.

“I brought you mishloach manot because you’re the closest to me, both physically and in my heart,” Sofer told Eizenkot.

Eizenkot replied, “I wish that the relations between all members of the Knesset, and between all Israeli citizens, would be like our relationship.”

Michal Woldiger (Religious Zionism) surprised Yesh Atid’s Meirav Ben-Ari, who replied to the right-wing lawmaker, “You are such a sweetie.”

Purim celebrates the Jewish people’s deliverance in the Persian Empire (aka the Achaemenid Empire or the First Persian Empire) during the fifth century BCE. The Scroll of Esther describes how the Persian viceroy, Haman the Agagite, plotted to annihilate the Jews.

Through a series of miraculous events, the Jews survived the attempted mass murder—and Haman ended up hanging on the gallows he had erected for his arch-enemy, Mordechai the Jew.

Jewish law states that while most places celebrate Purim on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, which this year falls out on March 13-14, cities that were surrounded by walls during Joshua’s conquest of the Land of Israel—primarily, Jerusalem—observe the festival a day later.

The exchange of mishloach manot, which is meant to increase unity among the Jewish people, is one of the four main mitzvot (religious commandments) of the holiday, with the others being the reading of the Scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther), partaking in a festive meal and giving charity.