A message from Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans Executive Director, Michael Weil
The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans was devastated to learn that the bodies of the three missing Israeli teenagers—Naphtali Fraenkel 16, Gilad Shaar, 16 and Eyal Yifrach, 19—were found today in a field near Hebron.
These innocent students were abducted on June 12 as they were trying to return to their homes for Shabbat from their boarding schools. The abduction and murder of these three is a vile act of terrorism.
For the last 18 days, the Israel Defense Force, together with Israeli intelligence services, have conducted a huge manhunt across that area of Israel to find the boys and confront their kidnappers.
For the last 18 days, the whole of Israel has talked of nothing but the abduction and the fate of the three teenagers.
For the last 18 days, communities around the world—from Australia to Germany, from Brazil to the United States—have held rallies and solidarity events centered around the slogan “Bring Back Our Boys.”
People everywhere have prayed in hope, because every child counts.
Today we stand united in expressing our outrage, in sending our sympathy to the families and in expressing our hope for peace and security for children everywhere and in the Middle East.
Today we pray instead for “Peace For Our Boys.”
