Last week the Ambassador and his wife hosted a reception in honour of Gilad Shalit. The reception was an opportunity to recognise some of the remarkable groups and individuals who had actively campaigned for Gilad’s release from Hamas captivity.
Guests had the opportunity to share their involvement in the various campaigns that went on throughout the UK. This ranged from London taxi drivers who used their taxis in order to publicise Gilad’s plight to the streets of London, to communal bodies who arranged petitions and lobby days to ensure the campaign stayed on top of the political agenda.
Rose Maitland, one of the Taxi drivers, told Gilad and the gathered guests about her experiences with the campaign: ‘In a very short space of time we got together a picture of you and managed to get it on as many London taxis as possible just to raise awareness’.
Likewise Paul Charney spoke of the efforts of Zionist Federation: ‘Personally the Zionist Federation took on a huge campaign, a daily campaign, a monthly campaign, a yearly campaign. Every day for us was a day that we could secure Gilad release, that we could make the difference.’
Guests had a rare opportunity to hear from the Embassy’s Defence and Armed Forces Attaché, Colonel Eitan Arad, who shared a moving story about his personal involvement in securing Gilad’s release: ‘I was there that morning at Tel Nof when your parents came and you went down from the chopper, I want to tell you that the commanders there were very excited. I am happy that you got through it and that you are here with us.’
(Photo: Yakir Zur)
Echoing this same excitement, this time speaking about the effort of the wider Jewish community, the Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, recounted: ‘Every week for five and half years we prayed every Shabbat in all of our Shuls for Gilad and we have merited to see you again’.
The Ambassador presented Gilad with mementos from his visit to UK. In true British style Gilad received a box of tea and an umbrella, appropriate reminders of the UK community who were so thankful to see return to Israel.
The Ambassador said to Gilad: ‘For five and a half years you have become a symbol for us. A symbol of something that is best about us as the Jewish people. How we can come together in support of the values that are so important to us, and particularly the value of a single human life which is we know in our tradition is worth an entire world. And you are a reminder of that value.’
Gilad was in England as the guest of Bnei Brith for its European Young Leadership Seminar.