For Gilad... FREEDOM!!

GILAD SCHALIT IS FREE! GILAD SCHALIT IS FREE!

Chag sameach to all.

Noam Schalit embraces Gilad upon his arrival in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu looks on in background.

Netanyahu welcomes Gilad back home to Israel.

Re: Israel A Difference of Opinion

Reported in print and online this week, Israeli Opposition leader Tzipi Livni position made clear that "Israel should pursue peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) so that its future as a Jewish democratic state can be assured. ...Only peace can ensure that Israel will remain Jewish as well as democratic". The comments were made while addressing a large audience at a United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto function held at Events on the Park. This is typical of many news reports on re-newed Israeli peace efforts made despite escalating attacks by members of Hamas and Hezbollah.

What message does this continuously re-enforce on campuses across Canada? Is there nothing more to focus on than the political and military positions within the country? Coming next week in The CJN's opinion section, columnist Seymour Epstein asks "Is militant campus advocacy the solution?" He investigates the conventional wisdom these days that young Jews don’t know enough about Israel to defend against anti-Zionists. While he recognizes there are many different kinds of Jewish education: schools, yeshivot, women’s study centres, Jewish Studies programs on campus, summer camps, Birthright, Masa and adult study groups, he omits centres like JUMP (Jewish Urban Meeting Place), The House and The Annex Shul. These environments, and the programming they provide, enable young jews to absorb more positive aspects of Israel's cutlure, and provides oppotunities to celebrate the country's achievements.

So, is the solution to cram Zionist data into the minds of young Jews so that they can fight back with knowledge? Read why Epstein believes it's problematic from the perspective of an educator.

Have your say here! For Epstein's full opinion on the matter, check your next edition of The CJN.

Bibi's address re: Gilad Schalit

On the anniversary of Gilad Schalit's fourth year in captivity at the hands of Hamas, and with the whole of Israel fixated on the conclusion of the 12-day Free Gilad March – organized by his parents, Noam and Aviva – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the national airwaves last Thursday night to give the following address to his country:




It's hard to imagine how to deal with such a situation. As a parent, the phrase "by any means necessary" comes to mind. And I'd certainly be in that mindset if one of my children was taken hostage. There would be no convincing me otherwise. But, if one can, one needs to put themselves in Bibi's position as well.

Thousands of supporters joined the Schalit family on the ninth day of their protest march calling for the release of the abducted IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, rallying in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square. Yellow poster reads "Gilad still lives." [Kfir Sivan/Israel Sun photo]

Last Friday, Hamas rejected Israel's offer to release 1,000 prisoners, none of whom would be permitted in the West Bank and would not include mass murderers, as Netanyahu said. And so Gilad continues to languish... somewhere. No one has ever been allowed to see him and verify his well-being. Save for this video release of him reading a newspaper on Sept. 14, 2009, there's been no communication from his captors about his state of health or location.

The Schalits and Netanyahu will likely meet again later this month after Gilad's parents camp out in front of Netanyahu's residence to protest the government's refusal to meet all demands from Hamas in exchange for Gilad's freedom.

What position do you take?