About 1,000 Jewish youths from around the world alongside 100 IDF soldiers on Monday took part in a bicycle event in the Golan Heights on behalf of Gilad Shalit. At the culmination of the event, 1,000 balloons imprinted with “Gilad Shalit is still alive” were released.

The event began in the southern Golan and culminated about three hours later. It was part of a World Zionist Organization program in conjunction with Jewish National Fund and the Defense Ministry, “Riding for Combatants”.

The program hopes to create a bond between Jewish youths in the Diaspora with their peers in Israel and encourage them to enlist in the IDF and move to Israel.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)