The following was written by Daniel Odrezin, a third year University of Alabama law student who will be joining the staff of The Birmingham Jewish Federation after graduation. Daniel, 24, spent five months studying at Tel Aviv University earlier this year.

By Daniel Odrezin

Events surrounding the release this week of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, which culminated in a prisoner swap involving more than 1000 Palestinians, have evoked mixed emotions both in Israel and throughout the international Jewish community.

The realization that terrorists responsible for the deaths of so many Israeli citizens are being released and sent home is certainly a painful one. There are legitimate questions about the effects this decision will have on Israel's already precarious security situation, and the fear of the dangerous precedent this negotiated agreement may set is not without merit.

That being said, the decision was one made by the democratically-elected government of Israel, and was only affirmed after the Israeli Supreme Court heard grievances from family members of terror victims, a process that is unfathomable in most other countries in the region.

Despite these painful realities, the prisoner swap marked the end of a tragedy that forever altered the life of a young Israeli soldier. Shalit, only 25 years old, spent a fifth of his life as a captive of Hamas, the terrorist organization ruling in Gaza, repeatedly denied visitation from family members and International Red Cross aid workers.

VERY DIFFERENT LIFE

As I followed the unfolding story this past week, I couldn't help but think of the personal milestones that had taken place in my life while Shalit, a fellow Jew of roughly the same age, had been in captivity.

While he spent five years as a prisoner in isolation, I enjoyed five birthdays and five Hanukkahs with family and friends. I graduated from college and voted in my first Presidential election. I began attending law school, and I was given the opportunity to spend a phenomenal semester studying in Israel, the remarkable country that Shalit can now finally call home again.

I did all these things while enjoying the liberties and freedoms afforded to young people living in democracies like the US and Israel, the very same rights that were stolen from Shalit in his cell in Gaza.

Throughout this time, The Birmingham Jewish Federation and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), The BJF's parent organization, continued to inform the public of the difficulties surrounding Israel's security dilemmas, while constantly encouraging others to participate in efforts on Shalit's behalf.

"For years, we have hoped and prayed for his freedom and return to his family and to the people of Israel," said Jerry Silverman, president & CEO of JFNA, upon news of Shalit's release. "I am elated that they will be reunited with Gilad and mourn for the other Israeli families that have paid a painful price in this conflict."

The pros and cons of Shalit's negotiated release have been discussed in Israel, in the US media, and even among friends here in Birmingham's small Jewish community, but regardless of the strategic implications, the government's decision highlighted the stark contrast between Israel and many of its hostile neighbors.

VALUE OF LIFE

In his statement following Shalit's return home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained what so many of us who support Israel already knew. "The State of Israel is different than its enemies," he said. "Here, we do not applaud those who took life. On the contrary, we believe in the sanctity of life... This is the ancient tradition of the Jewish People."

In the months I spent studying in Israel this past spring, I saw first-hand the value Israelis place on life. I saw it in the countless Israelis that wore ribbons showing solidarity with Shalit and exhibiting hope that he would one day return home safely. I saw it at the tent in Jerusalem where the soldier's family and supporters encouraged the government to seek his release. I saw it in the sign in the lobby of the law school that tracked the days Shalit had been in captivity.

Finally, in a moment I will never forget, I saw it on March 15th, when I stood on Dizengoff Street in the heart of Tel Aviv with hundreds of others, as traffic stopped and the whole country observed five minutes of silence in support of the captured soldier.

A friend, surprised by the number of prisoners Israel was willing to give up for the sake of one life, asked me my thoughts on the situation earlier this week. As I contemplated my answer I reflected on my time in Israel and on the country's remarkable saga. Israel is a tiny democracy in a region marked by violence, and for more than 60 years it has been searching against all odds for a peaceful, nonviolent solution to a conflict that never seems to end.

It occurred to me as I spoke to my friend that Israel's action in negotiating Shalit's release was not an isolated demonstration of compassion for a fellow Israeli, but a reflection of the Jewish state's ongoing efforts to find peace; an effort characterized by Israel's willingness to make unthinkable sacrifices in return for recognition of its right to exist.

Photo is of Daniel Odrezin in Tel Aviv. His t-shirt says Alabama in Hebrew.