Free
Gilad!
Rebecca Linker,
Florida and Estee t ti
12, of Southfield show
solidarity for captured
Israeli soldier Gilad
Shalit
Rally urges
soldier's release
and support for
Israel.
Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
U
aruch Binah, Israeli
Consul General for the
t
nity, concern, strength,
frustration and per-
severance were evi-
dent July 10 as more than 300
community members gathered
on short notice at the Jewish
Community Center in West
Bloomfield to demand the release
of a kidnapped Israel soldier,
oppose terrorism and call for
an end to rocket attacks against
Israeli cities.
Detroit was one of just a
handful of American cities that
organized a rally as part of an
international effort by the Jewish
Agency for Israel and the World
Zionist Organization to free Gilad
Shalit, the 19-year-old Israeli
soldier taken hostage by Hamas
terrorists June 25 after they tun-
neled into Israel from Gaza and
killed two other soldiers. The
Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit organized
the rally quickly, activating
synagogues, organizations and
individuals to spread the word
through e-mails and announce-
ments.
"We have different perspec-
tives on what must be done, but
we have one message: `Free Gilad
Shalit,'" Wendy Wagenheim,
JCCouncil president, told the
crowd encircling the memorial
to Israeli soldiers that stands
outside the JCC. Several speakers
said it was the only memorial to
Israeli soldiers outside of Israel.
After Rabbi Elliot Pachter of
Congregation B'nai Moshe in
West Bloomfield shared prayers
and readings for the release
of Shalit, Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit President
Peter Alter reminded the audi-
ence that Shalit "has courageous-
ly defended Israel and in doing
so defended all of us."
As many speakers would, Alter
referred to Israel's unilateral
withdrawal from the Gaza Strip
— "a tremendous risk for peace,
uprooting over 8,000 Israelis and
25,000 soldiers" — that hadn't
produced the hoped-for results.
"Israel had to respond to
secure freedom for Gilad Shalit,
to bring him back safely and to
stop the launching of the mis-
siles," Alter said to applause.
Looking out at the crowd,
Israeli Consul General for the
Midwest Baruch Binah, who had
come from Chicago for the rally,
argued against negotiating with
terrorists. Noting that someone
held a sign reading, "Terrorism Is
Never Justified': he reminded his
audience that "also, terrorism is
never satisfied?'
"This is not fighting for
freedom," Binah said of the
Palestinian Authority and
Hamas. "This is not fighting for
independence. They could have
had a state long ago if they had
made good choices."
Rejecting a "prisoner swap"
that would free Shalit for hun-
dreds or thousands of impris-
oned Palestinians, he noted,
"Gilad should be returned
without any conditions. There
is no equality between a soldier
Free Gilad! on page 20
July 13 . 2006
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