A 1986 letter written by Ron Arad was part of last week’s prisoner exchange between Israel and Lebanon.
The long letter and a never-before-seen photo of the Israeli airman captured in 1986 were turned over to Israeli authorities as part of a deal that brought home the body of a dead Israeli and sent the dead bodies of two terrorists and an ill Hezbollah prisoner back to Lebanon.
Tami Arad recognized her husband’s handwriting, according to Yediot Achronot, and began to cry when she saw the photo. The letter reportedly spoke of his love for her, their daughter and his family.
The defense ministry believes the letter is authentic.
In addition to the letter and photo, Hezbollah turned over its reports on Arad’s captivity, including the organization’s attempts to discover what has become of the hostage.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
