Should Gilad Shalit be called a ‘hero’?

By Tikva Jacob

TEL AVIV — Recently, the Jerusalem Post released a translation of an interview with Gilad Shalit in which he described the details of his kidnap and imprisonment. The writer, Ben Caspit, prefaced the once-captive soldier’s words, saying that, “[Gilad] knew that there was no military glory in what had happened there, on that night…that he did not do his duty as an IDF combat soldier and did not even do the minimum to prevent his own capture. “

The account he gives, an account based on Shalit’s own detailed description of the attack, paints a picture of a young, introverted Israeli boy who seized up at the moment of truth and stayed frozen, though mostly unthreatened, every moment after that. The article is not overly critical or flatteringly kind, describing Shalit’s response under fire as a “normal, human reaction.” He may have erred as a soldier, but as a person reacting to traumatic shock, reason cannot be expected.

What Caspit did criticize, however, was IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz’s awarding Shalit the title of “hero.” Caspit says this term is “misplaced”, citing individuals of heroic mention who acted with unnatural bravery at a critical moment, like Brigadier General Avigdor Kahalani, Major Roi Klein, and Lieutenant Colonel Avi Lanir. The title of hero should be reserved for those who truly merit the honor. Instead, Shalit didn’t listen during briefing, abandoned his weapon and surrendered to an ill-equipped enemy, and made no effort to conceal what information he had. For Ben Caspit, the term ‘hero’ applies to one who acts with unordinary valor in a severe situation. Gilad Shalit was no hero.

Yom HaShoah is officially called “Yom HaShoah v’HaGvurah”, meaning “Day of Holocaust and Heroism.” This name was chosen by the Knesset in 1953 in order to focus Holocaust remembrance and memorials on those Jews who resisted the Nazi rule instead of ‘submitting to the slaughter’, which is also why the date of this remembrance marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It seems that it would not have been enough to simply recognize those who reacted with shock and submission to the atrocities and monstrosities which battered their bodies and minds. No, their response is better termed “inaction.”  Apparently, our standards for defining heroism have not changed very much.

Of course there are tremendous differences between the sufferings of the victims of the Holocaust and the traumas experienced by Gilad Shalit, but in their categorization they are the same – not remarkable enough to be called heroes.

Perhaps though, the problem lies not in the distinction, but in the definition.

When one is found in a situation which is typical, he would only be praised or recognized if he acts in a manner which is out of the ordinary. For example, one who finds a beggar on the street and treats him to a warm dinner and a comfortable bed has acted heroically. But in an atypical situation, in a reality which is abnormal, even hellish, regular human behavior, by proportion, becomes heroic.

This may seem undeserved – after all, a victim does not volunteer for captivity. But it is not the situation he falls into which creates a man, rather how he chooses to react. And in a world of inhumanity, of harsh cruelty and monstrous evils, being vulnerable and afraid – in short, being human – is itself an act of heroism.

Gilad Shalit may not be a role model for soldiers and he may not be the stuff of legends. He may just be a boy who spent five years of his life lost and afraid. But today he lives, and, though by no apparent fault or credit of his own, with hope and motivation.

I consider those who fight in the face of extreme adversity to be heroes. But that in no way diminishes the fight of those who found a way to live. There’s no need to be stingy when it comes to that appellation and award – there are few enough who simply choose life. In truth, there’s nothing simple about it. We need look no further than the most meager survivor to find one whose strength is supernatural.

*
Jacob is editor of Chadashim, the online publication for the Anglo student community in Israel where this article initially appeared.