Gilad Shalit – How to Help

In June 25, 2006, Hamas terrorists crossed the Israeli border with Gaza and abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, then 19. Today, almost two years later, Shalit is still being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

As a fifth-grade student, Gilad wrote “When the Shark and the Fish First Met,” a story about two creatures who, by all accounts, should have been sworn enemies. However, the shark and the fish iron out their differences and even get their parents to see beyond their traditional enmity.

Eleven-year-old Gilad may not have intended for the story to be an allegory of coexistence in the Middle East and other troubled parts of the world, but that is exactly the message it conveys.

How to Help:

• The Shalit family invites children of the world to read Gilad’s story, add their own illustrations, and send them to habanim.org@gmail.com.
• Organize a “When the Shark and the Fish First Met” exhibition in your community.
• Pray for the safety of Gilad Shalit.
• Send letters to the International Red Cross, the United Nations, American officials, and the European Union, calling for Gilad’s release. Click here for the addresses of these organizations.
• Raise money for an organization such as the Keren Maor Foundation, which was founded to assist and support his family in its struggle to free him.
• Organize a vigil in your community where participants come together to recite prayers for the safety of the missing soldier. Hold posters with pictures Gilad.