(March 13, 2025 / JNS) The Israel Defense Forces’ Military Rabbinate distributed almost half a million hamantaschen, or oznei Haman (“Haman’s ears”) cookies, the army said ahead of the holiday of Purim, which starts Thursday night.

Approximately 460,000 hamantaschen in the flavors of chocolate, poppy seed and date arrived at army bases across the country, according to the IDF announcement. Vegan and gluten-free options are also provided. Around 5,000 Purim gift baskets were distributed to various units.

In keeping with the religious commandment of hearing Megillat Esther (the biblical Scroll of Esther) twice during the one-day Purim holiday, the army gave out 125,000 copies of the text, as well as more than 2,000 parchment scrolls that contain the biblical story.

For soldiers to familiarize themselves with the various halachot (religious laws) of the holiday, 8,000 books were distributed.

Purim celebrates the Jewish people’s deliverance in the Persian Empire during the 5th 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—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.

However, halachic uncertainty exists regarding the Gaza Strip, as well as Hebron, Shechem (Nablus), Jaffa, Haifa, Safed, Tiberias, Lod and Acre.

Last Purim, then Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef ruled that Jewish soldiers stationed in Gaza should celebrate the joyous holiday on the 14th, noting that the coastal enclave has been given to murderous Hamas terrorists, “the enemies of Israel from the sons of Ishmael.”

PHOTO: Use according to Section 27 A