Dozens of Jewish communities around the world dedicated the menorah lighting on the third night of Chanukah to three of Israel’s missing soldiers: Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev, and Ehud Goldwasser.  Communities in the United States, Ukraine, France, Holland, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, and elsewhere took part in the initiative, which was sponsored by the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization, and Bnei Akiva.

Miki Goldwasser, Ehud’s mother, sent a letter out to the communities in honor of the event.  “The kidnapped sons, Udi [Ehud], Eldad, and Gilad, are no longer just the sons of three families—they are the sons of the entire Jewish people,” she wrote.  “More than that—they are the sons of the entire free world.”