Run for Their Lives highlighted the hostage plight, embodying the emotions and prayers of many.
A different “run” took place last Sunday at Washington Park, after 101 consecutive weeks of dignified walks called attention to the plight of the hostages held by Hamas.
A very different run — for the living hostages are now free. Not a run at all, actually, but a celebration, duly tempered by the slow release of the murdered hostages, but still, a well deserved celebration.
And not only for Denver’s Run for Their Lives. But for Boulder’s and Fort Collins’, too.
And not only for Run for Their Lives, but for all the synagogues that recited extra psalms three times a day.
And not only for the daily recitations, but for the weekly recitations in temples and other spaces.
And not only for the formal recitation of psalms, but for the private prayers in countless Colorado Jews’ hearts.
And not only for the Jews who walked and who prayed, but for the non-Jews who did, too.
And not only for the walks and the prayers, but for the visits of Coloradans to Israel to help hostage families and for the sponsorship of public appearances in Colorado of hostages released in November, 2023 and February, 2025.
And not only for the individual acts of activism but for the steady drumbeat of public awareness fostered by the IJN, by community organizations, and in other forums, Jewish and non-Jewish, throughout Colorado.
A well deserved, multi-point celebration indeed!
It goes without saying that more remains to be done and prayed for, beginning with the full healing of the released hostages and the full return of the murdered hostages. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, they should have been returned with the living hostages. Hamas has been in violation of the deal from the beginning (see adjacent editorial).
Beyond the hostages, our prayers and advocacy are as vital as ever. We want the war to end. We want Gaza to be disarmed and disempowered. We want the anti-Semitism that this war has brought to the surface to end. We want a peaceful Gaza with Gazans’ lives rebuilt on the basis not of Hamas hatred but of affirmative coexistence. Perhaps above all, we want Israelis generally and Israeli soldiers specifically to be safe and unthreatened.
We have a right to celebrate. And the road ahead is long.
© IJN 2025
