It seemed this day might never come. What turned out to be the 843rd day. The day when there would be no more Israeli hostages in Gaza.
How dramatically our world has shifted since Oct. 7, 2023, when police officer Ran Gvili died defending his countrymen, his body abducted by Hamas terrorists.
The return of Gvili’s remains, the opportunity for his family to have some sense of closure, marks an ending point. An ending point, at least, to raising awareness of the hostages.
Even when the weekly walks across the world came to an end as all but Gvili’s remains were returned to Israel, Gvili’s name remained at the forefront for so many people worldwide who continued to pray for his return and for his family to have a modicum of peace. His family never wavered and neither did his advocates.
This week, when Ran finally came home, Ilearned of a local group, five on average, who continued to meet every Sunday to walk for Ran. Among them were Harvey Tepper, Charlie Schloss, Hila Novat, Ishai Levin and Tali (last name withheld). They came from Denver, Boulder, Golden, Greeley and Fort Collins.
They lived by the motto “Until the last hostage.”
Ran is finally home. An extremely painful chapter has closed. But Ran and his family cannot go back to Oct. 6, 2023, when Ran was alive, his entire life ahead of him. And the Jewish world cannot go back to Oct. 6, 2023. In the 843 days that Ran was brutally kept from his family, his country, the Jewish world has contended with increasingly vicious and deadly anti-Semitism. We are not the same people we were on Oct. 6, 2023. We face challenges not seen in two generations.
Through advocating for Ran, by never giving up, we learned how much we care about each other, and how connected we all are. That is the blessing of Ran and of all of the hostages.
May we be worthy of their sacrifice.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com.
© IJN 2026
