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Making the effort
Photo: Yaron Brener
Racing for Gilad Shalit in Tel Aviv
Dedicated group meeting daily at Rabin Square completes five-mile Tel Aviv run, to hold singsong on Wednesday hoping efforts will keep kidnapped IDF soldier in Israelis’ consciousness
Approximately 150 people participated Saturday night in a race for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit on
the streets of Tel Aviv.
The runners began their endeavor from Rabin Square and continued eight kilometers (five miles); passing through Atarim Square, Ben Gurion Avenue, the promenade all the way down to the Dolphinarium, Rothschild Avenue and back to Rabin Square.
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Alon Ben-Nun, a 29-year-old Tel Aviv resident, told Ynet that “a month and a half ago during the World Cup soccer tournaments, a girl sat in Rabin Square every night for a week with a sign saying, ‘No sunflower seeds, no television and no Gilad Shalit.’
“A guy who liked the idea said that he would take it upon himself to organize a group of people that will sit at the square the whole night through.
“The group is now called ‘Waiting for Gilad in the Square.’ These are people who don’t know each other and at that point did not know the Shalit family. Since then, we are in the square every night with signs and new people join us every day.
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Running for Gilad on streets of Tel Aviv (Photo: Yaron Brener)
“This is our third run in this framework. We all have different opinions regarding the way we think the Shalit release should be conducted, but we are unanimous in that the government needs to continuously act in releasing Gilad.
“The way it is done is less significant to us. Gilad needs to come back because this is the most important thing for this nation. According to the values we were raised with, you can’t leave a soldier behind.”
Ayana Inbal, a 32-year-old Tel Aviv resident, said, “We are expanding the circle of participants and hope that even when the subject is not as hot, we will be successful in awaking the people so that they stop their daily routines for a moment and remember that Gilad is still in captivity.
“We are trying to keep him in the public’s consciousness and don’t want another Ron Arad case.”
On Wednesday, the “Waiting for Gilad in the Square” group will conduct a singsong on Rabin Square at 8 pm.
