Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev: May their memories be for blessing

This morning at 9 a.m. Israel time, the (presumed) remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were given over to the Red Cross by Hezbollah at Rosh Hanikrah on the Lebanon-Israel border.

At this moment, the question of whether the exchange should have taken place is moot. What's important to remember right now, this very second, is the fact that two families must now get on with the very real, unimaginably heartbreaking process of coming to terms with the deaths of their loved ones.

As such, organizations around the world, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, will be sending their emotional support to the families in a multitude of ways. The Canadian Jewish community is no exception.

This morning, coinciding with the "prisoner" exchange, the Canada-Israel Committee launched an online book of condolences. Hundreds of entries have been registered so far. If you feel like writing your own, visit the CIC website here and let the Regev and Goldwasser families know they are not alone in their grief.

Let's all hope and pray that the family and friends of Gilad Schalit don't have to go through this same experience.


PHOTO: The coffins of Goldwasser and Regev are returned to Israel this morning.

Israel's official statement on the repatriation of the bodies can be found here.