Remember Ari Gononsky?

Ari ran the ING New York City Marathon and raised money for Yeshivat Hesder Nahar-Deiah in Nahariya, in the framework of the Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000 project which connects Nahariya and Northern New Jersey through a wide variety of activities.

As in previous years, Nahar-Deiah's Chessed (Charity) Center and the Beit Neriya garin torani (socially-motivated inner-city religious community), together with the Chessed veEmuna organization, prepared 250 food packages for Purim, in accordance with holiday practice.

This year the Center received special assistance directly from New York City Marathon runner Ari Gononsky, who raised funds for the Chessed Center and for local families.

Entire families participated in the food drive by preparing Purim mishlochei manot or food packages.  Children drew pictures with holiday greetings while teens and adults packed the food.  The result was a unique, high-caliber group bonding activity for the community.

Additional activities included:  pre-Purim activity in the kindergartens; distribution of manot to army bases in northern Israel, a joint three-synagogue reading of Megillat Esther with a happening for children and families, megilla readings in the absorption center and on IDF bases, and festive dancing after the megilla reading at Yeshivat Hesder Nahar-Deiah "until we do not know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai."