Today is a day of hope and, we pray, the beginning of healing for the hostages, their families and all of Israel. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia celebrates the long-awaited moment as the 20 surviving hostages come home to their loved ones. 

For 738 days, 48 out of 250 people kidnapped from Israel have been held in captivity by Hamas terrorists, in horrific conditions. Through 18 major Jewish holidays and 105 Shabbat dinners, Jewish families in Israel and around the world had empty chairs at our tables, yellow ribbons on our lapels, and fractures in our hearts. Each of those 1 million minutes was filled with anguish and uncertainty — wondering if the hostages would live or die, knowing that the Jewish people were incomplete without them.

We welcome the long-awaited return of:  

Matan Angrest
Gali Berman
Ziv Berman
Elkana Bohbot  
Rom Braslavski  
Avinatan Or  
Yosef-Haim Ohana  
Alon Ohel  
Evyatar David  
Guy Gilboa-Dalal  
Omri Miran  
Eitan Mor  
Segev Kalfon  
Nimrod Cohen  
Maxim Herkin  
Eitan Horn  
Bar Kupershtein  
Matan Zangauker  
Ariel Cunio  
David Cunio

We also mourn the indelible loss of 28 people who faced down Hamas with heroism and bravery but did not survive captivity, whose bodies are expected to return home in the coming hours and days. We pray for their families and loved ones to be able to give them the proper burial they deserve. May they be comforted among all the mourners of Zion.  

We honor the resilience of the hostages and their families and continue to pray for all whose lives have been shattered by terror. They built their cause into a social movement that has garnered support across the globe and never wavered. May this moment mark the beginning of comfort and renewal for the people of Israel and the Jewish people everywhere.

***

About the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Since 1901, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has served as the hub of the region’s Jewish communities, providing an infrastructure of support for Jewish people and organizations in need. Through grants, emergency funding, restricted gifts, endowments, and our partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools, we annually invest in caring for those in need, combating antisemitism and global crisis, and securing a vibrant Jewish future. For more information, please visit: jewishphilly.org