OTTAWA — Jewish high school students presented a petition to
Parliament last week urging the federal government to help secure the
freedom of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit and other missing Israeli
servicemen.

Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre talks with students. [Cara Stern
photo]

The petition has about 250 signatures from community members of many
different faiths. Members of a Torah High class, in which public high
school students learn about Judaism, began collecting the signatures
three years ago, said Bram Bregman, executive director of NCSY Ottawa,
which runs Torah High.

The teens also collected messages of support for Schalit’s family, he
said.

Since Hamas kidnapped him on Israeli territory in 2006, Schalit has
been held hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Pierre Poilievre, Conservative MP for the riding of Nepean-Carleton
riding in Ottawa, presented the petition to the House of Commons on
April 14 on behalf of the students.

“It was an opportunity to raise the important concern of missing
Israeli soldiers and to highlight the ongoing deplorable behaviour of
Hezbollah and terrorist groups like it,” he said.

But it was also a way to represent the voices of everyday Canadians
who demand action, he added.

Bregman said it’s important to show the government that citizens
support Schalit.

“We have probably one of the most pro-Israel governments in the
history of Canada right now,” he said. “Hopefully, they will use their
good reputation and good standing within the Jewish community to try to
broker a deal or get more involved.”

Additionally, many of the students involved currently take a Torah
High class about Jewish leadership, so it’s also important for them to
see their work make a difference, he said.

In the past, he said, students have sent petitions to the offices of
MPs or the prime minister, with each petition also having about 250
signatures. However, having the petition go through Parliament makes it a
lot more public, he said.

He said he hopes this experience inspires students to get involved in
Israel advocacy.

“We’re teaching them about activism before they even reach
university, which is where it really starts,” he said, adding that many
Torah High alumni are involved in Israel advocacy groups on campuses.

Aaron Miller, a Grade 10 student enrolled in a Torah High class, said
he got involved with the petition because he’s a big believer in
Israel. Although they have presented the petition to Parliament, the
teens will continue to raise awareness in every possible way, he said.

“To have a soldier that’s kidnapped just doesn’t seem right to me,
and I think that we should do everything we can to try to get him back,”
he said.

Although this isn’t the first petition of its kind, Poilievre
emphasized the importance of persistence.

“Any time you highlight an injustice, you move towards resolving it,
and we have to continue to raise our voices so that this is not
forgotten,” he said.