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Leading members of Congress, the New York Assembly and Senate, and the New York City Council, gathered with Jewish communal leaders to launch a coordinated effort to condemn Hamas in all four legislative bodies for withholding the bodies of two dead Israeli soldiers and two additional Israeli civilians being held by Hamas. The event took place on Monday, 16 Elul, at 2:00PM in NYC.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY), the central coordinating and resource body for the Jewish community in the metropolitan New York area, lead this effort.

“This is a significant humanitarian effort being initiated from Congress down to the city level to send a clear and direct message to Hamas to return the bodies of these dead soldiers and two living Israel citizens who suffer from mental illness on humanitarian grounds,” said JCRC-NY President Charles S. Temel.

The two civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al Sayed, both with documented special needs, accidentally crossed into Gaza on their own and were subsequently captured by Hamas and are currently being held without access to medical personnel, international human rights monitors, and communication with their families.

The two soldiers, Hadar Goldin HY”D, and Oron Shaul HY”D were both killed in Operation Protective Edge in Gaza during the summer of 2014. Immediately upon their deaths Hamas terrorist snatched the bodies and only recently publicly acknowledged that the organization was in possession of the remains of the two soldiers.

“The JCRC is joining forces with political and Jewish communal leaders to bring forward the stories of these four men, each uniquely different, yet equally tragic. Their return is a universal human right which has too long been withheld from their families and loved ones,” said Michael S. Miller, executive vice president and CEO of JCRC-NY.

Hadar Goldin’s parents, Dr. Leah and Prof. Simcha, will both attend and speak at the press conference. Oron Shaul’s mother, Zahava will be standing in solidarity with the press conference from Israel. Shaul’s father, Herzl Shaul recently passed away in August. http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/458029/bde-mr-herzl-shaul-father-of-fallen-idf-soldier-sgt-oren-shaul.html

“Our son was killed during the summer of 2014 during a United Nations sponsored ceasefire and since then has been denied the basic human right to the dignity of a proper burial according to our customs,” said Leah Goldin, mother of Hadar Goldin. “We appreciate the work of the representatives of New York and JCRC-NY for bringing this grave matter of the violation of human rights still being committed against my son and the other hostages of Hamas.”

The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) is the central coordinating and resource body for the Jewish community in the metropolitan New York area in the community relations field and is an active force in New York civic and communal life.

The JCRC-NY’s mission is to build bridges and establish working relationships within our own community, with other ethnic and faith communities, and with public officials and government agencies. These relationships serve to strengthen the communal underpinnings of the metropolitan New York area for the benefit not only of our Jewish community, but of all New Yorkers. For more information, visit: www.jcrcny.org

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)