Students call to ‘reverse the equation’ and bring back soldiers’ remains from Gaza
Students at the AMIT Gwen Straus Science School in Ra’anana called on the government to bring back the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIUpdated: FEBRUARY 27, 2018 23:44Students at the AMIT Gwen Straus Science School in Raanana called on the government to bring back fallen IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul(photo credit: NOAM EYAL)
In the midst of Purim celebrations, students at the AMIT Gwen Straus Science School in Ra’anana called on the government to “reverse the equation” and bring back slain IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin – one of the school’s alumni – and Oron Shaul, both of whose bodies have been held by Hamas since the 2014 Gaza war.Holding up large posters on Tuesday which read: “Let’s reverse the equation” and “Hadar + Oron = Hamas must pay,” the students hope to start a nationwide movement for their release.The students’ call reflects the request of the Goldin family to return the bodies of the two soldiers by “reversing the equation:” Rather than have Israel pay – whether, via prisoner exchanges or other means – to bring the bodies back, Israel should take measures to punish the terrorist organization until the bodies are returned.“Purim for us is a holiday of unity and joy,” said Aviv Zubari, an 11th-grader at the school. “During these times we are asked to feel the unity and the connection to our brothers that are in captivity.”Rabbi Sagi Rosenbaum, principal of the school, said that the educators were “very moved” to see the students partake in the endeavor on behalf of Oron and Hadar.“It is clear that the students have internalized in the most proper way the expression ‘All of Israel is equal to one another’ – on weekdays, on holidays our well-being is linked to the well-being of the bereaved families and our hearts are with them in their struggle,” he said.While the students at the Science School were the first to initiate the call, the AMIT network said that it will distribute posters across its network of some 110 schools throughout the country in an effort to stand in solidarity with the Goldin family.“The Goldin Family for the past three and a half years at every single turn has only acted to strengthen Am Israel,” Yonina Bloch told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.Bloch, whose son Yehoshua was one of Hadar’s closest friends, said that the call from the AMIT students is a welcome voice in calling on the government to do everything in its power to bring back the bodies.“A family like this should not be feeling that they are the only voice out there,” she said. “Everybody should remember how they would act if it was their son, and it can be any one of our children.”
Bloch said that she was determined to show the Goldin family that they are not alone in their endeavor and called on other students and the public to join the efforts and make their voices heard.“The main goal is to reverse the equation that Hamas must pay and not be rewarded and this is the only way to deter further kidnappings,” she said.
