March 8, 2004
The Purim Connection was once again a huge success, bringing mishloach manot to Israeli soldiers and to the families of victims of terror in Israel.

The 2004 Purim Connection was a huge success in every respect. Not only did AZM National raise 60% more than it raised for the Purim Connection in 2003, the program served the interests and goals of the Zionist movement in multiple ways.
The 2004 Purim Connection 1) brought some joy into the lives of soldiers and to children orphaned or injured in terror incidents 2) it helped the Israeli economy by purchasing goods and services in Israel 3) it gave individuals the opportunity to make a personal connection through the program (each gift basket had a letter enclosed with the name and city of residence of the donor, plus any personal message that the donor may have sent) and 4) it involved approximately 150 Diaspora youth and young olim in the project, strengthening their connection to Israel and to the Zionist movement.
As reported earlier, the World Council of Zionist Youth Movements, chaired by Silvio Joskowicz (also the World Mazkir of Habonim Dror) encouraged youth movement involvement. In the end three of the Zionist Youth Movements participated - Habonim-Dror. Magshemei Herut, and NFTY. In addition a student group from the University of Pennsylvania in Israel under the auspices of Tnuat Aliyah and the Israel Aliyah Center in New York also participated.
These volunteers not only helped to assemble the packages - many spending a couple of hours at the Jewish Agency Building on March 7th - but visited army bases where they got tours and spoke with the soldiers, adding an educational aspect to the program. The students from UPenn reported that the soldiers were truly appreciative to receive the packages personally from American volunteers, and spent time, despite their fatigue, talking to the students and showing them what they do in the army. The students said the mifgash was great and rewarding. The Habonim kids were North at the Har Dov Air force base, where they personally distributed 500 packages, saw an F-16 and helicopter (they were very excited) and were briefed by a commander in a "secret" Air Force unit.
AZM owes a huge debt of thanks to Karma Feinstein Cohen who as a volunteer was largely responsible for the successful organization and implementation of the program in Israel. Our thanks as well to Russell Robinson for the Jewish National Fund's sending out an email solicitation regarding the Purim Connection, and to the Baltimore Zionist District and Mercaz USA for their assistance in promoting the program. We also thank all of you who contributed and helped us to spread the word.
It is our hope, with the help of our leadership and member organizations, that AZM will build on this success both to increase the contributions and to involve more youth and students in the Israeli side of the activity.