It’s all about coming together to make a difference and that’s what one Indianapolis couple’s idea did.

Earlier this year, Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation put together Tu B’shvat packages for Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Soldiers in Israel. Gadi and Michele Boukai were so touched by this project that they wanted to do more.

They connected with Partership2Gether Western Galilee (P2G), which connects communities in the US, Budapest and Israel, and contacted Western Galilee Now, a small business consortium in Israel that highlights different ways to taste, experience, and discover the Western Galilee region. Western Galilee Now was doing a similar program for soldiers, and with their help, they curated special Purim packages for IDF soldiers called Mishloach Manot.

Mishloach Manot or Purim baskets are gifts of food or drink that are sent to family, friends, and others on Purim day. The mitzvah of giving mishloach manot derives from the Book of Esther. It is meant to ensure that everyone has enough food for the Purim feast held later in the day, and to increase love and friendship among Jews and their neighbors. In Israel, it is a fairly common practice to send mishloach manot to IDF soldiers.

Western Galilee Now contacted a few local Galilee vendors to provide Hamantaschen, artisan chocolate, dried fruit, lip balm made from olive oil from the Galilee, and more, for this package. The package also included a greeting card with a nice Purim message.

More than 780 Mishloach Manot were purchased by the greater Indianapolis community and the P2G consortium, packaged, and delivered by the Boukai’s to IDF soldiers on Israel’s northern border just in time for Purim.

The Boukai’s spent many days delivering the packages. They have many stories of resilience to share, especially their day on March 21 when they met with more than 50 wounded soldiers and their families in Soroka Hospital, located in Be-er Sheva.

“We spent many hours at the hospital,” Michele said. “At first, Gadi and I were hesitant to go into the hospital rooms. We didn't want to impose and didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but we were told to just go in and ask lots of questions because the soldiers and families want to tell their stories. They want to go into details of where and how they were injured.”

The moment they explained who they were and who they were representing in delivering the Purim packages, the stories just flowed out. There were many tears and many long-lasting hugs.

The Boukai’s met with a Druze reserve soldier whose hands were severely wounded by a grenade as he was protecting fellow soldiers just days prior to their visit.

They also met a woman who was severely wounded on Oct. 7. She was hospitalized after Oct. 7 and released but has had to return to the hospital periodically for additional surgeries. On Oct. 7, her last week in the army, she was fighting Hamas with other female soldiers. Eventually, she was the only one left alive, and still fighting. She was shot in the back and luckily survived.

They met a mother who has been standing by her motionless son in the ICU, day and night praying endlessly for a sign of movement from him. She was so emotional when she heard how American communities from afar are thinking of her son.

“We had arrived as messengers of the American Jewish communities of the Western Galilee Partnership, bringing love and healing wishes, looking to uplift and strengthen their spirits,” Michele said. “What we didn't expect was that they would uplift and strengthen our spirits, which we hope to bring back to the U.S. communities.”