"Jerusalem if I forget you..."

I originally stared this post weeks ago and its taken me a while to publish it.  Its from the beginning of the trip, but I don't know how to fix it and put it where it belongs so... oh well!

Waterfall at Ein Gedi

So on Friday, I woke up feeling much better than I had felt the day and night before. We went on a hike to Ein Gedi. It is such a beautiful place and after a nice but somewhat challenging hike we arrived at a beautiful waterfall. Most of us got in for a bit and splashed around in the water and the waterfall. There were so many falls on this hike that it was a bit ridiculous. I think 5 people went down at one point or another.

At some point in the first few days we went to Jerusalem for some free time. It was really a cool experience. First we went with Noah and Neta (our madrachim - or counselors) to a rally for Gilad Shalit (גלעד שליט). For those who don't know, Gilad Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas 4 years ago. He is a year younger than me which means he was barely 20 when he was abducted. The issues surrounding Gilad Shalit are complicated and very difficult and at least in my mind, there is no clear answer.  There is so much to say about the situation and I don't really know where to start.  First, here is a link to a good site about Gilad Shalit.  Here is what I understand about the situation:

Shalit was captured on June 26, 2006 during a cross-border raid.  Two IDF soldiers were killed and Shalit was injured and then abducted.  Hamas is holding him captive and demanding the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in addition to all female and all underage captives that are currently being held by Israel.  450 of the 1,000 captives have blood on their hands.  Negotiations have been ongoing but have not produced results as of yet.  Occasionally, a sign of life is received, but the most recent one was over a year ago.  Hamas is not allowing any representatives from the Red Cross to see him and there is no information about his current status.  Everyone in Israel knows the name Gilad Shalit and all Jews across the world should know his name too.  Many Israelis, even knowing the high cost of his release, want to see him released.  Of course, its a difficult situation because presumably if he is released, it gives Hamas reason to capture more soldiers.  They know how Israeli's feel about Shalit and they are using the dirtiest kind of psychological warfare.

I can not imagine the pain that his family feels, not knowing where their son is and knowing that he is in the hands of Hamas.  There could not be a more difficult situation, at least not that I can think of.  My thoughts drift to Shalit and his family on occasion and I am still left at a loss for what to think.  Releasing so many dangerous prisoners is a horrible horrible idea.  However, leaving Shalit in the hands of Hamas for the rest of his life is not a viable option.  Where do you draw the line in terms of the value of one life?  It is a question that most people are not comfortable asking and no one is comfortable answering.  There are rallies and events organized by his family and fellow Israelis all the time.  I encourage anyone and everyone to get involved in any way that they can, even if it is just getting his name out there and educating other Americans and other Jewish people about him.  Form your own opinion and let them form their own opinion as well.  Just don't stop thinking about him.  And if you pray (or even if you don't) include him in your prayers and pray that he comes home safely.  

Banners like this are in many places in Israel.
It says: "Gilad is Still Alive"