The Shalit Release: The View From Two Brooklyns

Home Brooklyn Life The Shalit Release: The View From Two Brooklyns

Midwood and Bay Ridge residents react to Hamas’s release of Gilad Shalit into Israeli custody after more than five years in captivity.

Charity boxes, a common sight in Jewish restaurants, line the counter at Jerusalem Steak House II. Anna Hiatt/ The Brooklyn Ink

Every diner sits facing the TV watching the Israeli news coverage of Gilad Shalit’s release from captivity. The talk in Pita Off the Corner on East 2nd Street in Midwood is all about the Israeli soldier’s return home after being held prisoner by Hamas for five and a half years. The TV’s volume is pumped up loud enough for everyone to hear the news anchors speaking in Hebrew. There are scenes of Palestinians celebrating the return of 1,027 prisoners freed by Israel in exchange for one man: Shalit.  A video montage of his return to Israel plays on the screen.

Yochanan Silvana sits at the front counter unable to look away from the footage of Shalit. She keeps her eyes trained on his thin face as she rings up customers. Footage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeting Shalit flashes on the screen. Shalit’s eyes are dark and tired, sunk deep in his skull. Silvana shakes her head like a concerned mother and praises Israel for doing what they did to ensure his release. “I don’t care. He’s home,” she says. “He’s home with his mom.”

She calls across the restaurant to a customer and asks what he thinks about Shalit’s release. He replies in Hebrew, but she doesn’t translate, saying that he isn’t happy with the exchange.

“I know what his mother feels. He’s alive,” she says. She lost her son in a car accident two years ago, and she pauses a moment when she talks about him. She understands the joy Shalit’s mother must feel.

“I’m happy for her,” she says.

In walks David Abrahmov, 37, who moved to Brooklyn from Israel ten years ago. He lost friends and family at the hands of Palestinian terrorists, and yet, in his view, Israel’s release of more than a thousand Palestinans, including several hundred of whom were involved in terrorist acts, was justified. “You will be shocked,” he says. “Because even a million would be okay.”

A thousand prisoners, he says, was a terrible price, but nonetheless, a price Israel had to pay. “He is alive,” Abrahmov says, “and we are obligated to take care of someone who is alive.”

The Islamic Society of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn Omar Akhtar/ The Brooklyn Ink

Just over three miles away is Bay Ridge, a predominantly Arab community. Here they speak in hushed tones, making sure people in the street do not overhear them. Some didn’t believe it would happen, some believe it shouldn’t have happened, but few are happy with the numbers in the prisoner exchange.

The men at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge Mosque have been following the news about Shalit’s release with apprehension.

Alex Shami, a 24-year-old grocery store worker says the deal shows just what Israel thinks of Arab lives. “They care so much about one person, but they don’t care about us,” he says.  “It is good that they freed so many Palestinians but it shows they don’t care about us. I feel like we are nothing to them.”

The faithful walk in and out of the mosque at different points in the day. Mohamed Abdou, 48, is an electrical contractor who has missed the afternoon prayer congregation, but comes in to pray anyway. As he puts on his shoes after leaving the prayer room, he says the Arabs must look at the exchange practically: “Listen, if I can get freedom for more than a thousand brothers against just one guy, then what’s better than that?”

Tall and bespectacled Ali Al Badawi, is not afraid to speak out loud about Israel as he leaves the mosque. Badawi, 32, who runs his own electrical repair company, is eager to speak to reporter media because he says Arabs must tell their version of the story.

He says Israel is sending a clear message with the numbers of the prisoner exchange. “They’ve used the media on their side, they are telling the whole world that we don’t care about a thousand Arab guys as long as we’re getting one Israeli guy,” he says.  “It shouldn’t have this kind of coverage.”

Ali Al Badawi speaking outside the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge. Omar Akhtar/ The Brooklyn Ink

Badawi, is deeply passionate about his Arab identity. Although an Egyptian by birth he refers to Palestine as “our country” and Palestinians as “our people.” He says people should not care where he’s from.

“I’m Palestinian, I’m Egyptian, I’m Iraqi, I’m Syrian, I’m Muslim. I’m Arab.”

Back in Midwood on Avenue J, David Oliel, 48, knows when a man dies you cannot bring him back. He’s already lost two brothers — one to a heart attack; he does not mention the other. If you have the chance to save a life, he says, you must save it.

“I understand that the other families, they lost loved ones,” Oliel says about the victims of some of the Palestinian terrorists who were released. “But we cannot bring them back.”

Oliel, who manages Jerusalem Steak House II on Avenue J, is from Israel and served in their army before moving to Brooklyn 27 years ago. He talks of Shalit like a family member. In the five years since Shalit was taken captive, he has become Israel’s son. The government was right to release a thousand prisoners in exchange for Shalit, he says. He doesn’t worry about the Palestinians who went free, some of whom were being held for acts of terrorism. To bring Shalit home, it was worth it.

A lot of people will say that Israel gave up too much, Oliel says. But he’s adamant that isn’t true.

“Every Jew who loves Israel is going to be happy,” he says.

Ken Amin, 30, waiting to order lunch, engages Oliel when he hears Shalit’s name. Amin was born in Uzbekistan and moved to this country when he was ten years old. But it is Israel he calls his homeland. His country, he says, made a poor decision: One prisoner in exchange for one prisoner would have made sense, but not a thousand lives for one.

“The state is more important than a life,” Amin says. “One person can die so a thousand can live.”

Israel made a mistake setting the exchange rate at one Israeli for a thousand Palestinians, he says. Next time they’ll take ten. He looks intently at Oliel and devises metaphor upon metaphor to get his point across. Losing one finger is better than losing a whole hand. If you give a child a piece of candy and ask for five in return, the child will refuse. Amin does not budge: the exchange, he says, does not make sense.

“There are people who are going to be in prison for the rest of their lives,” Amin says. “The terrorism is going to start gaining momentum again. They’re going to see the Jewish people are weak. They showed their weakness.”

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