By Steve Mark and Larry Hankin
Even the most stoic observers were reduced to tears while watching video of the 20 remaining living hostages reunite with their loved ones on Oct. 13, the eve of the two-year anniversary (by the Jewish calendar) of Hamas’ barbaric kidnappings and attacks that ignited the war in Gaza.
The hostages were released under the US-brokered 20-point peace plan, an achievement flowing from Israel’s military pressure on Hamas and from many Arab countries’ disgust with and abandonment of Hamas.
At the moment of the hostages’ freedom, Jews around the world saw those 20 men as their own sons, fathers and brothers.
The IJN asked some community members for their thoughts on the momentous occasion:
OMER SHACHAR
Colorado Run for Their Lives
After 738 agonizing days, all of us at Colorado Run for Their Lives are completely overwhelmed with joy and relief at the return of the 20 living hostages.
We are also immensely saddened that the bodies of 24 hostages are still held captive in Gaza.
We have waited a very long time for this moment, and we will continue to advocate until all the hostages are returned home for the burials they deserve.
The men who returned today are heroes — truly the embodiment of unimaginable resilience.
Their strength, forged in the darkness of captivity in the tunnels of Gaza, shines as a powerful testament to the unbreakable spirit of Israel and the Jewish people.
The fight to keep their names alive has been a global imperative, and the sustained efforts of our community — those who have walked tirelessly for almost two years — prove that advocacy can make an impact.
We are grateful to the heroic soldiers of the IDF — for their unparalleled dedication, their sacrifice and their relentless determination that helped to bring the hostages home. Our hearts ache for the 915 soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in this war.
We will also never forget the murder of Karen Diamond, z”l, in the terror attack on Boulder Run for Their Lives last June 1.
May the memories of the many, many we have lost since Oct. 7 forever be a blessing.
May today be the beginning of healing and of peace for all the families of the hostages, and to all of us around the world who have been hoping and praying for this day since Oct. 7.
May we continue to have the strength to hold all the complexity of emotions that Rachel Goldberg-Polin so eloquently spoke to: joy, despair, grief and a profound love for Am Yisrael.
JORDAN KASTRINSKY
IDF Arabic and Farsi spokesperson reservist, co-founder of CO-IL
I am relieved that two years of pain and suffering for the hostages has come to an end and that they are finally reunited with their loved ones. Now, their time for true healing can begin.
From a personal side, having spent over 200 days in reserve duty since Oct. 7, seeing them return made all the tiring days and nights of reserve duty feel even more worth it, since it’s through our military strength that turned the tides of the negotiation table.
While much seems to still be left up in the air in terms of an actual end to this conflict, I felt the hostages coming back was a positive step in the right direction.
More than that, it was very meaningful, almost biblical, that the return coincided with the eve of Simchat Torah, nearly two years to the day this terrible reality unfolded. At last, we can finally begin to dance, feel happy again, and say: “There is hope for your destiny, says the L-rd, and the captives will return to their land.”
RABBI RICK RHEINS
Senior rabbi, Temple Sinai
We rejoice the return of the 20 hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and kept in tortuous conditions for over two years.
At the same time, we mourn for those who were murdered by the Palestinians and for the deaths of the heroic Israeli soldiers who gave their lives to defend Israel and rescue the hostages.
Thousands of Israeli men, women and children were wounded and displaced by the onslaught of terror from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and, still, from the Houthis.
We are heartbroken for the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Israel and for Jews in the United States and around the world who have been subjected to vicious anti-Semitic attacks.
And yes, we have great sympathy for those innocent people in Gaza who were also victimized by Palestinian Hamas.
We express our deepest gratitude to the President of the United States and his staff who rallied to the support of Israel and led the negotiations to finally bring the hostages home.
May G-d grant us the blessings of peace and healing.
RABBI AVRAHAM MINTZ
Executive director, Chabad Jewish Center of South Metro Denver
After 738 days in captivity — 7+3+8 =18, the very numbers spell chai, life.
Am Yisrael Chai has been the single most uttered prayer on the lips of Jews around the world these past two years.
Today, as we celebrate their return, our tears of anguish turn to tears of gratitude.
We pray that this moment marks not only the freedom of those who were held captive, but the beginning of true peace and healing for our people, our land and all humanity.
On this sacred holiday, we lift our voices in thanksgiving to G-d, and we continue to pray — that peace will finally come upon Israel and upon all the world.
CHERYL MIRROP
World Mizrachi volunteer and hostage advocate
I’ve been crying. Seeing every image and the videos that are out there, and messaging friends are very emotional. I walked for the hostages and yesterday (Sunday, Oct. 12) we did Run For Their Lives and we had about 200 people.
The national organization (Run for Their Lives) is talking about what to do in the future, in terms of what we should do now. Everybody’s exhausted.
Probably, we’ll walk every other week, but as long as there are any bodies of hostages there, we’re not going to give up.
LINDY EICHENBAUM LENT
President and CEO, Rose Community Foundation
Like so many in our community here in Colorado and around the world, I found it impossible to sleep as the long-awaited images of hostages reuniting with their families began to pour in.
Joy and grief and gratitude and anger commingled, accompanied by a deep exhale tinged with anxiety about what the future holds both abroad and domestically.
But in those moments and in the days since, I’ve been grateful to bear witness from afar to these homecomings, marveling at the resilience of the hostages and their families while grieving for the Oct. 7 victims, hostages and families who experienced a different ending to their nightmare.
© IJN 2025
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