Gilad Shalit remembered at NYC Israel day parade

Yesterday New York City held its annual Salute to Israel Parade.
Tens of thousands (Israeli sources say a hundred thousand) showed up to celebrate the creation of the state of Israel and Tel Aviv's 100th birthday.

Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv was named honorary grand marshall. Also taking part in the parade were New York's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, New York's Governor, David Paterson and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine.

It's so nice to hear about this type of parade. Israel needs all the support it can get, and as we all know, when it comes to the PR arena, Israel tends to find itself on the losing side more often than not. So hearing about such a crowded event honoring Israel and its biggest city, Tel Aviv, fills me with hope.

I think the most important thing about this year's parade, however, was the presence of Noam and Aviva Shalit - parents of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants in June,  2006. Noam Shalit addressed the crowd and shared his experiences as a father living in utter helplessness for 3 years, not being able to hold his son.

Mayor Bloomberg received a "Free Gilad" pin from Noam Shalit, which he wore during the parade.

Gilad Shalit was kidnapped 1072 days ago.
He is believed to be held in Gazza, and so far negotiations for his release have not yielded results.

We must not forget about Gilad, and we must not allow apathy or time to dull our emotions; our pain and our rage. Gilad is believed to be held alive. There is still hope for his release (unlike the late Udi Goldvasser and Eldad Regev who were returned in body bags).

Lets pray together that Gilad returns home to his family, his country, his home.
Lets pray together that no more parents; Israeli, Palestinian, or American will have to endure the pain and suffering Noam and Aviva have been going through for 3 years.

Free Gilad!

AP Photo/Seth Wenig