Made possible by the
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.

How well do you know the family?
"We are still very close to the fam-
ily and we see them as close friends,
especially Gilad's parents. We try to go
and visit them often, but nothing can
ever take away the sadness in their
eyes. They are today very close to our
hearts and we keep them involved in
all that we do with the film. They were,
of course, the first to watch it and
approve."

What do you the film accomplishes?
"We realized early on that this film
holds a powerful role in Israeli society
and in how it is perceived globally. The
story of Gilad Shalit is first a personal
story of a family's worst nightmare.
"We wanted to portray their story
from a personal point of view, show-
ing the endless struggle they undergo,
showing the incomprehensible situa-
tion they have been caught in. People
forget that their pain follows them
daily and hourly, not only when shown
in television interviews every night.
"In addition, it is Noam's incred-
ible story of his twin brother, Yoel,
who was captured and shot dead by
the Syrians in the Yom Kippur War
in 1973 that makes their story even
more complex. It is Gilad's grandfather
who initially brought the family to
Israel to help create the State of Israel,
and once again must face the conse-
quences and sacrifice of his actions.
With all this pain, the Shalits continue
to fight endlessly for Gilad to see him
back home.
"In Israel, Gilad has become the son

civilian population. Hence, the impli-
cations of such a prisoner swap must
not be underestimated or downplayed.
I must concede that I support such
an exchange. That is not to say that
the mother in me would triumph over
the citizen in me — that distinction
is something of an artificial one to
begin with as our identities are gener-
ally much more complex. And so, too,
is being an Israeli and sharing in the
fate of this country. Our identity and
our loyalties are multilayered; and the
struggle to free Gilad Shalit tugs at
and challenges each of these layers.
I believe it is our duty as Jews to
make sure that this issue does not dis-
appear from the public agenda; and all
of us have a role to play in this effort.
Public officials and the news media
in the U.S. and elsewhere should be
reminded of the humanitarian imper-
ative of ensuring Gilad's safe release

of a whole nation, of every household.
As the military service in Israel is
compulsory, the values we hold are
that one must fight for his country
and the country will always fight for
him.
"As long as Gilad is not brought
back by his country, these values that
have kept Israel strong and united
until today are starting to weaken. Gi-
lad's harsh humanitarian conditions
are also a major factor. His picture is
spread across the whole country, and
Israel will stay torn internally until we
manage to bring Gilad home safely to
his family where he belongs."

Where else is the film showing?
"We are working on several screenings
of this film all over major cities in the
world. The Detroit Federation com-
munity has been incredible and sup-
ported us from early on. We are very
happy to show the film in Detroit as
the first North American international
screening.
"We are still documenting the fam-
ily to create an international version
and raise further awareness." ❑

Harry Kirsbaum is associate director of

marketing and communications for the

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The Love Doctor can help make this
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Dr. Terri Orbuch will offer
strategies and tips on finding that
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from captivity.
The value of redeeming prisoners in
the Jewish tradition has always been
a central one. Maimonides even went
as far as claiming that "the redeem-
ing of captives takes precedence over
supporting the poor or clothing them.
There is no greater mitzvah."
Jews the world over should pray for
the safety of Gilad Shalit and all of his
fellow soldiers. Indeed, as articulated
in the Prayer for the State of Israel:
"... bestow Your light and truth upon
its leaders, ministers and advisers, and
grace them with Your good counsel.
Strengthen the hands of those who
defend our holy land [and] grant them
deliverance." ❑

Tova Dorfman, a native Detroiter, has lived

in Israel for the last 25 years and directs

the Israel office of the Jewish Federation

of Metropolitan Detroit.

Wednesday, February 10th
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29699 Southfield Road
Southfield, MI 48076

Program offered at no charge. Registration required by
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The JITS. Prime Time! Life After 50 Center offers programs on careers,
finances, health, relationships & other topics of interest to people over 50.

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