The Born to Freedom Foundation on Tuesday, December 7, 2004, launched n exceptional campaign - offering a $10m reward to anyone providing proven and reliable information about the location of Ron Arad and other soldiers missing in action - Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz, Zvi Feldman and the missing soldier Guy Hever.
Due to no progress and having reached a dead end in all related efforts regarding the fate of Ron Arad, Attorney Eliad Shraga initiated in September 1999 an innovative plan of action, centered on a $10m reward to be awarded to anyone who provides proven information on Ron Arad. He moreover proposed to assemble a special investigation team to analyze and assess all material currently available on the subject. The new initiative was and is based on the premise that several dozen persons throughout the world may know what happened to the captured navigator. Since then and to this very day the foundation has been preparing to put this concept into practice and has carried out extensive activities to promote this objective.
“It is the first and unprecedented humanitarian campaign of this type in the world, aimed at placing the release of Ron Arad at the top of the public agenda and creating a worldwide effect,” says Eliad Shraga, the foundation’s active vice chairman. “We are certain that several dozen people throughout the world are aware of the fate of Ron Arad and the other missing soldiers, and we are all hopeful that a worldwide appeal will reach them and thus help break the deadlock.”
The foundation is able to receive telephone, facsimile and Internet messages in four principal languages: English, Arabic, Persian and Russian. A website set up to provide information on the foundation - www.10million.org - contains information on Ron Arad and soldiers missing in action from the Sultan Yakub battle: Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz, Zvi Feldman, as well as the missing soldier Guy Hever.
Who is Ron Arad?
On October 16 1986, Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad bailed out of his plane on a mission in Lebanon and was captured by members of the Iranian-backed Shiite group, Amal. Since then, Ron has been held captive by a various of factions and groups, all of them extremist Shiite groups, backed by Iran.
Soon after his capture, there was a series of negotiations for Ron’s release. The first round broke down in 1988. It is believed that Arad was then “sold” by Amal security chief Mustafa Dirani to other Iranian backed forces in Lebanon. Since then, contradictory reports abound. By May 1988 he had disappeared completly.
Israeli intelligence also believes Arad is being held in Iran or Lebanon by Iranian backed forces. The Iranians have never publicly admitted to holding Ron or to having any information regarding his condition or location.
More than 18 years have passed since Ron Arad was forced to eject from his plane over Lebanon on October 16, 1986. In spite of all the efforts invested and being made by the State of Israel, assisted by several friendly states, we have not yet been able to determine what happened to Ron Arad since his last letter dated September 1987.
This unique case of a soldier captured and then disappearing without a trace is unprecedented in our history:
In his first year of captivity, letters and photographs of Ron were received indicating that he was alive. In May 1988, he disappeared without a trace and we know nothing of his fate since then. In June, 2002 the Minister of Defense appointed a committee headed by former Justice Eliyahu Vinograd, charging it with examining all information available to Israel regarding the fate of Ron Arad. The Vinograd Committee published its conclusions in August 2003, stating that the assumption that Ron Arad is alive and held in captivity is still in force.
Conclusions of the Vinograd Committee substantiated and reinforced the action program for which the Born to Freedom Foundation was launched.
We hold up the sacred commandment of redeeming prisoners, on which generations of our soldiers were nurtured and which is deeply inscribed in the heritage of the Jewish people:
“… and thy children shall return again to their own border”
(Jeremiah, 31:16)
Board of Directors - Born to Freedom Foundation
Avihu Ben Nun - Chairman of the Board
Eliad Shraga - Active Vice Chairman
Ami Ayalon - Board Member
Chen Arad - Board Member
David Arad - Board Member
Uri Chen - CEO
Avi Wertheim - Board Member
Mody Ben Shach - Board Member
Gaby Ophir - Board Member
Doron Tamir - Board Member
Yehuda Segev - Board Member
Opher Spielberg - Board Member
Assaf Harel - Board Member
Orni Petrushka - Board Member
For reward information:
www.10million.org
Tel: +44-208-8080808
Fax: +44-208-3030304
Email: info@10million.org
For more information please contact:
Sarit Bachar - "Triwaks Public Relations"
972-3-7441199, 972-50-7718840
Merav Sar-El - "The Born to Freedom Foundation" : 972-3-5165690