Yoel Shalit, the brother of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, received his Bachelor of Computer Science (BSc) from Israel’s Institute of Technology on Thursday. During the ceremony Yoel said he was sad his younger brother could not be there and study with him.

Yoel started his studies shortly after Gilad fell captive. The institute’s president, Prof. Peretz Lavie, said that Gilad had helped Yoel move into an apartment in Haifa where he lived for the duration of his studies.

Lavie and other staff members shook the hands of the Shalit family in an unusual step. “It’s a traditional ceremony that has not changed in many years,” Prof. Lavie said, “but this time there is a painful personal tone which merited a violation of protocol.”

Lavie noted that Yoel “never asked for any help during his studies” and added that many students were not aware he was Gilad’s brother until very recently.

He addressed the Shalit family in his speech saying they have become “a symbol for the entire nation” prompting loud applause. Saturday will mark five years since Gilad Shalit had been abducted to the Gaza Strip.

Gilad Shalit