Parents of Israeli MIA March in Salute to Israel Parade

NEW YORK, NY [CHI] — Aviva and Noam Shalit, the parents of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, marched in the annual Salute to Israel Parade in New York City on Sunday, May 31, 2009. Surrounded by supporters, Aviva and Noam Shalit walked down Fifth Avenue and demanded their son’s freedom.

Gilad Shalit was abducted on June 25, 2006, by a group of Palestinian terrorists that crossed the border south of the Gaza Strip into Israel, through a tunnel near Kerem Shalom, and attacked an army facility that was within the sovereign territory of Israel. Gilad has been held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip ever since his abduction, with no word as to his condition.

“It was very touching for Aviva and me to walk the streets of Manhattan and see so many people cheering for our son and demanding his release,” said Noam Shalit. “It lets us know that the scope of our ordeal is felt by Jews well beyond Israel. While it does not make the pain any less, it shows us how many others feel some of that pain.”

Prior to the start of the parade, Aviva and Noam Shalit met with a number of prominent elected officials to discuss their son’s plight, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine.

For Aviva Shalit, the journey to New York City to march in the parade was her first trip to the United States. Mrs. Shalit has long resisted leaving her native Israel, but with the 3rd anniversary of her son’s abduction drawing near, she made the uncomfortable decision to travel to the U.S. in order to raise awareness of Gilad’s situation within the New York Jewish community and among New York’s elected
officials.

The Salute to Israel Parade is the largest event in the world celebrating the anniversary of Israel’s Independence, with over 100,000 participants and one-million spectators.