MDY Students Visit Washington

Recently, Magen David Celia Esses High School principal Richard Altabe, teacher Hagit Hadar, along with 10th grade students, Danielle Gindi, Linda Gindi and Jacqueline Zaccai spent the day in Washington D.C. lobbying on behalf of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

In the months leading up to the visit, Hadar’s students have followed the captivity of Shalit. Their constant support was apparent in the Salute to Israel Parade, with posters supporting Shalit as well as other captured soldiers. In addition, the girls have been counting each day of Shalit’s captivity, and wore buttons asking to free him.

“Teaching children to become strong advocates for Jewish causes is one of our primary objectives at Magen David Yeshivah,” said Altabe.

Altabe received an invitation from the IPA Mission to represent MDY at their annual Leadership Mission to Washington where leaders from the Orthodox Union attended a meeting with the Obama administration and congressional leaders to discuss key issues. Upon receiving permission to attend, the girls were motivated to make the trip and voice their beliefs.

The delegation from Magen David first met with the International Red Cross Head of Public and Congressional Affairs, Mark Silverman. There they were joined by representatives of the Israeli Embassy. At the meeting, the students spoke passionately about Shalit’s plight; the day they visited Washington was the 1,444th day of his captivity.

The students met the President of Yeshiva University, Richard Joel, the President of the OU, Steven Savitsky and other Jewish notables. In addition they heard a report on the recent attempt by our enemies to break the Gaza blockade, the flotilla incident. The report, delivered by an admiral from the Israeli Navy, clarified many details of the current Israeli strategy.

“I first became aware of Gilad’s captivity from my teacher, Dr. Hadar. I began calculating all of his days held captive. I approached Mr. Altabe, to see if there was anything that could be done. I was very excited that the Red Cross listened to our ideas, and happy to be able to voice my opinion,” said Jacqueline Zaccai.

“We got inspired and took matters in our own hands, trying to make a difference. It was a great experience, being able to take time out, getting your point across to help, while also seeing how the government is run,” said Danielle Gindi.

Student Linda Gindi added, “I felt it was a very good opportunity, meeting important people, while voicing our opinion to the Red Cross.”

It is important to note that one week after the Magen David meeting with the ICRC, the Red Cross issued a strong statement condemning Hamas for “violations of humanitarian law” with regard to its treatment of Shalit. The statement was the strongest ever issued by the ICRC and the girls from MDY were impressed that their voices had been heard.

“Our mission was a success,” said Hadar. “When young people commit themselves to a cause with the passion of youth, often their voices can be heard. We need to continue our efforts to fully engage all of our students in Jewish political action. Expect to hear more news from MDYHS in the future.”
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Randi Shomer is a community member, a mother of five children, and a freelance writer.