The Zionist Federation marks Gilad Shalit's 23rd birthday

Over the past few months I've been helping the Gilad Shalit campaign here in Israel to encourage activism abroad. I was so pleased to hear the positive report from the Zionist Federation about yesterday's birthday event.

Volunteers offered thousands of passers-by birthday cake to mark Gilad Shalit’s 23rd birthday, his fourth in captivity. It's good to hear that many people - including Muslims - stopped to find out more, and to express sympathy and their hope that he would soon return home safely.

Gary Sakol, the assistant director of the ZF, then led a delegation into the Red Cross to meet Michael Meyer, head of International Law for the British Red Cross. The delegation asked the R.C. to apply pressure on the International Committee of the Red Cross to ensure everything possible is being done to ensure Gilad Shalit's safety.

Meyer handed the ZF a news release from 18th June 2009 which detailed how the ICRC was urging Hamas to allow Shalit regular contact with his family. It was suggested to the Red Cross that it was perhaps appropriate to increase this activity and issue a current news release.

At the same time, ZF co-president Joy Wolfe delivered a birthday cake at the North West Red Cross Office in Manchester. She was able to deliver the message that the cake was to mark Gilad's 23rd birthday and his 1160th day in captivity.

Yesterday’s initiative launched a new website - www.gilad.org.uk - that enables people to send Jewish New Year greetings to Gilad Shalit through the International Red Cross, and asks them to sign a petition which will be delivered to the British Government.

As to the efficacy or otherwise of this type of activism, I can only say that when I met Noam Shalit recently, he told me that he and the rest of the family are heartened by every gesture of worldwide support and solidarity.