Sorrow and Hope

Dear Friends:

It has been 906 days since Gilad Shalit has been kidnapped! Despite relentless efforts from his family, friends and support from politicians and friends around the world he still remains in captivity.

This Chanukah we will join together as a world wide community to show our solidarity for Gilad forming a unbreakable light that will remind the world that we have not forgotten our soldier, our son Gilad. We ask you to join us to Light One Candle for Gilad. Click to learn more
FreeTheSoldiers.org and the Jewish community extend their condolences to the families of Ehud "Udi" Goldwassser and Eldad Regev, two Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah whose remains were recently returned home. (news coverage about this).
If you would like to write a message of condolence that we will deliver to the Goldwassser and Regev families, please click here.
Please do your part to bring Gilad Shalit home from captivity to his family without delay, as well as Israel's other missing soldiers, Zachary Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, Yehudah Katz, Ron Arad and Guy Hever. Purchase a set of dog tags bearing the names of Israel's missing heros from the OU, our partner website.

Download a Passover prayer to say at your Seder in honor of these men.

Soldiers' dog tags captivate Congress
From Jpost.com

When US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to the Middle East in April, she brought with her a piece of jewelry that was not part of the standard politician's attire. It was a replica set of dog tags of the three IDF soldiers kidnapped last year; she presented them to Syrian leader Bashar Assad in Damascus, to pressure him to work for their return. Read full story

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds up her FreeTheSoldiers dog tags as she addresses the AIPAC conference in March.

NOTEABLE QUOTES:

“Despite major efforts spent by the facilitator and flexibility by Israel beyond the framework of UNSC-Resolution 1701, implementation of the resolution’s humanitarian aspects has not yet been possible.  Controversial issues raised by Hizbullah require sustained and complicated efforts for reaching a solution.  Progress is therefore slow but continues.  The situation unfortunately is aggravated by Hizbullah’s persistent refusal to provide a proof of life.  Worries are thus increasing about the fate of the two soldiers.  I share deeply the anxiety of the families and call again on Hizbullah to reconsider this posture which contradicts basic humanitarian values.
- Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General

“Karnit gave me these copies of their dog tags. I keep them on display in the Speaker’s office as a reminder of my promise to do everything in my power to get information on the soldiers and work for their release. Ehud, Eldad, and Gilad are always in our prayers.”
- Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

"I rise tonight to make sure that the plight of the soldiers is not forgotten. I rise to honor the sacrifice of these soldiers and their families who wait everyday for news of their circumstances. Here in my hand I have a copy of their dogtags. The United Jewish Communities delivered a copy of the dogtags to every member of Congress to help raise awareness that it has been one year since the families have heard from their loved ones. It has been one whole year since they have seen their husband, son, brother. These families have not heard one word from the captors about whether they are OK."
- Ron Klein, House Representative