Gilad Shalit's namesake moves to Israel

Even Gilad Zuller's parents are sometimes saddened to see how much he's grown in the three years since his birth. Others are sorrowed too, when they hear the story behind the boy's name.

"Each birthday's a stark reminder of how long Gilad Shalit has been in captivity," the toddler's father, Yehuda Zuller, explained on Tuesday. His youngest son was born exactly five days after Hamas abducted Gilad Shalit, and Yehuda named his son after Gilad.

On Monday, Yehuda and Aviva Zuller and their four children immigrated to Israel, along with 226 other new immigrants from the U.S., who made aliyah aboard a flight organized by the immigration assistance group Nefesh B'Nefesh and the Jewish Agency.

The connection between the Zullers, originally from Brooklyn, and the Shalits goes beyond the namesake. In the past three years, Yehuda and Aviva Zuller have become personal friends of Noam and Aviva Shalit.

Yehuda, who works in the printing industry, hosted Noam and Aviva Shalit in New York last month and set up meetings for the Israeli couple with politicians and Jewish leaders.

"I remember seeing Noam holding the hand of my son, Gilad, and I thought to myself about how sad it is that Noam can hold my son's hand, but not the hand of his own son," Yehuda said. "I hope that very soon the two Gilads will be able to meet."

Looking at how the Shalits have changed over the past three years, Zuller says he is "proud" of how Noam and Aviva are fighting for their son's release. "I first met Noam Shalit three weeks after the abduction, when he barely spoke English. But since then they have been everywhere and tirelessly met with world leaders. It was inspiring."

The American couple, both 38 years old, plan to settle in Ma'aleh Adumim together with their oldest daughter, Nava 14, Binyamin, 10, Kayla, 7, and Gilad.

The flight that brought the Zullers to Israel is the first of 16 charter flights that will bring approximately 3,000 new immigrants to Israel this summer. Their arrival caused a 15 percent hike in immigration to Israel this year.