New York – Meet with Shalit” was the theme of the day as 1,000 students from New York and New Jersey rallied outside the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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The rally which was organized by the students and administrators of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway, Rambam Mesivta High School for boys, Shalhevet High School for girls, all on Long Island and Magen David High School in Brooklyn.
According to Rabbi Zev Friedman, head of the Long Island schools, “although the mandate of the Red Cross is to visit prisoners – and in fact they boast on the website of having facilitated over 200,000 visits on behalf of Palestinian prisoners – they have not accomplished anything on behalf of Shalit. The ICRC must immediately demand of Hamas, in no uncertain terms, the right to visit Shalit, and if rebuffed, should sanction Hamas by denying it various forms of aid.” Mr. Richard Altabe, Principal of the Brooklyn high school echoed the sentiment and said “three years have passed and nothing has happened. We demand that the ICRC do everything possible to verify Gilad’s well-being.”
Students from Yeshiva University College and high school divisions, Ramaz, North Shore Hebrew Academy, DRS, SKA, and HANC joined in a show of solidarity speaking out on behalf of Gilad Shalit. Dr. Chagit Hadar of Magen David read a letter from Gilad’s parents supporting the rally and thanking those that participated for ‘helping their son.’ A group of high school students from Sderot, whose visits to the United States was arranged by Rabbi Yotav Eliach of Machon HaTorah, joined in the rally and expressed their sense of thanks to the participants for trying to help Shalit, who as an Israeli soldier ”great sacrifices to help keep the people of Sderot safe.” Mr. Ori Schecter, who is accompanying the Sderot students on their visit and continues to serve in the IDF reserves, spoke to the protesters in Hebrew expressing how important this rally was and how the people of Israel are strengthened by the support they receive from their brethren in America.
The next time someone posts any negative comments about some of these schools because they aren’t frum enough remember what these wonderful boys and girls did today….such direct action and demonstration is much more productive than sitting around learning in a kolel and will do more to get Shalit released.
I guess if Gilad C”V was dead then the Chassidim would get out on the street to protest getting his body back. (see article below)
I don’t get it !!
Why cant we all agree?? The yeshivas involved all teach the talmidim Torah , have Rebbeim giving daily shiurim and instill Ahavas Torah and love for
Klal Yisrael. They don’t tell the students to pick one over the other – they teach them to embrace both !!
They also realize that not everyone is going to learn in kollel and that many will work and interact with all kinds of people. They are being taught to be involved in the world at large in a very positive way.
BTW- I’m sure we all know that Gedolai Yisroel marched on Washington to protest and save Jews during the shoah. Pidyon shevuyim is one of our greatest mitzvos and we all should do what we can to save Gilad Shalit and the yeshiva boys in Japan. This does not have to take away from our davening or learning
– just as it doesnt take away from the overall seder that the students have in yeshiva.
Maybe we should all take a lesson from these kids and their menahalim and daven , learn …. and have more Ahavas Chinam
#2 if someone can make such a statement ‘..more productive than sitting around in kolell.’ he doesnt believe in the whole concept your trying to put forth. he is probably not shomer torah
we still dont have baumel , katz, feldman, arada and hever after all these years or eli cohens remains. we havent learned anything. shalit might be subject to the same fate if we dont DO SOMETHING
The Modern Orthodox community did little for the chasidic boys in Japan as the chasidic community did little for Galid. The world is too big to have everyone in mind so we all star within our community. Family comes first then people of your community then other people of klal yisrael. Its that simple
And who even says Shalit is alive? We really don’t know. And for the people that blast people who learn in kollel and think they do nothing for us are a bunch of morons, idiots and jerks.
Kollel people is what keeps klal yisroel going and most fo the time we do not even realize how powerful it is when people are learning torah.
Are people so stupid that they think kolel people just sit there for themselves?
Such great news that these students are protesting! They are absolutely correct!! (However, reading ALL the negative back and forth comments did make me sad. Let’s not make this about us … It’s about what needs to be done to save Shalit amv”sh)
#3 and since when are the yeshivos in the business of going to demonstrations? maybe the hamon am should go?
#16 i dont know who you are but i know this youre thinking is very very childish and naive you present youreself as all knowing you know that the sitting of the kollel man protects others from harm well you can say any nonsense you want but youre not all knowing and youre comparison of a kollel man to a working person is absolutly idiotic i have to tell you you are in a fantasy wolrd of youre own
1,000 students is absolute sheker. I work there and passed by; if you are lucky there were 500. I believe we should do everything possible to help one of our own, but I also believe in journalistic integrity, and 1,000 is ridiculously farcical.
In my day everything that went on was in the 4 walls of yeshiva