Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

American Jews Upbeat on Shalit Release Deal

American Jewish organizations that were deeply involved in campaigns to raise awareness about captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s case issued some cautiously optimistic statements in reaction to news of a deal to release Shalit approved by the Israeli government early Wednesday morning.

The Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Jerry Silverman spoke of an emotional connection, having just recently met with Shalit’s family in the tent outside the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem.

“Having had the privilege of sitting with Aviv and Noam Shalit in their tent, and seeing the pain of five years of captivity of a child, hearing this news, I don’t have words to describe how grateful and overjoyed I am for them and their family,” said Silverman.

“It is difficult to find words to describe the excitement and relief being felt here in Israel on this day. I know that Jewish communities across North America share these emotions,” added Rebecca Caspi, director general of JFNA’s Israel office.

“The Jewish Federations stand with Israel in times of need as well as in times of celebration,” Caspi said. “We are acutely aware of the difficulty and pain of those victims of terror and their families who have had to accept the release of terrorists from prison. Our thoughts go out to these Israelis while we pray for Gilad’s speedy re-entry to life in Israel.”

“The redemption of captives, along with the supreme value of human life, are among the most important teachings in Judaism. We empathize with the Israeli government over the difficult choices it was forced to make in agreeing to this deal, but we are also overjoyed of the news that Gilad Shalit may now be heading home to his parents and loved ones, and back with the People of Israel,” Caspi added.

Leaders of the Reform Movement echoed these sentiments. “On the eve of Sukkot, the holiday known as Zman Simchatanu – a time of rejoicing – we rejoice at the prospect of Gilad Shalit’s release,” Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Eric H. Yoffe said in a statement.

“We wait expectantly for [Shalit’s] safe return, and pray that he is in good health and can be embraced of his family and the citizens of Israel. While we know that negotiators for the State of Israel paid a high price, we support and applaud the Israeli Government for bringing these negotiations to a successful conclusion,” Yoffe’s statement read.

“This is a magnificent moment for the people of Israel, those of us who have been working for Gilad’s release the past 5 years, and above all for the Shalit family,” said Jewish Council for Public Affairs President Rabbi Steve Gutow.

“Gilad’s prolonged captivity, internationally condemned for its cruel isolation, has been a painful daily challenge for a country where mandatory military service for young men and women is a shared national experience,” Gutow said.

“The supreme importance of Gilad’s return is underscored by the difficult decision Israel’s leaders had to make in exchange: the release of 1000 terrorist prisoners many of whom are associated with the murder of Israeli men, women and children,” Gutow added.

Americans for Peace Now welcomed the news of a deal for Shalit’s release and expressed hope that the deal “will open better channels of communications between the Israeli government and Hamas’ government in the Gaza Strip for the benefit of Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

For more, go to Haaretz.com

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.