We've waited, prayed and campaigned for the release of kidnapped Israeli solider Gilad Shalit for five agonizing years. This morning, our wait ended, our prayers were answered, and our efforts were rewarded.
Gilad Shalit is free and in the embrace of his family.
On this Sukkot day, we can feel an extra measure of joy – and gratitude.
The Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation would like to say "thank you" to all of you who signed our petitions, wore our dog tags, and attended our programs over the past five years – all on behalf of Gilad.
When we organized a meeting in Jerusalem between Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and Gilad's father Noam, we could only imagine this day.
When we gathered in a movie theater on June 28 to watch "Family in Captivity," a heart-rending documentary about the Shalit Family, we could only imagine this day.
And when we gathered again in the Chambers of the City Council on August 30 to see Gilad named an Honorary Citizen of Pittsburgh, we could only imagine this day.
The saying Kol Yisrael areivim zeh b'zeh, all Jews are responsible for one another, is not an empty slogan. Far from it. We have felt these words and lived these words for the past five years while Gilad suffered in captivity.
Just as we have shared in the pain of the Shalit Family, today we can share in their indescribable joy.
