Los Angeles Gathering Scheduled for Gilad Shalit Release

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the Israeli Consulate and the Israeli Leadership Council announced Sunday that they are jointly organizing a community program for Tuesday, Oct. 18, to allow the community to come together to watch and commemorate the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been held captive by Hamas since 2006.

The gathering will take place from approximately 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, and will include a live feed from Israel (the actual release may be before this time window), as well as appearances by community leaders including Jewish Federation Chairman Richard Sandler, Israeli Consul General David Siegel, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and others, beginning at 8 .m. For more information and to RSVP, go to