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"עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ, וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן"

“He Who makes peace in His high heavens, may He make peace for us, for all Israel, and for all who live on Earth, and say Amen.”

With profound gratitude and heartfelt relief, we welcome and celebrate the news of the agreement to bring home the hostages and to bring an end to the war in Gaza, expected to take effect in the coming hours.

We offer our thanks to all those who worked tirelessly to make this agreement possible, and to the leaders who chose the difficult path of dialogue and compromise in the pursuit of life and peace. This moment embodies the sacred Jewish principle of pikuach nefesh, the preservation of human life above all else, and pidyon shvuyim, the redemption of captives.

We stand in solidarity with the families who have borne unimaginable pain and sacrifice, and we remember the many lives lost over the past two years on all sides of the war. We pray for the healing, physical, emotional, and spiritual, of all who have suffered through this long and bitter conflict.

As we await the safe return of the hostages, who have endured over 734 days in captivity, we open our hearts in prayer and hope. May this fragile but courageous step pave the way toward a lasting peace, one where Israelis and Palestinians alike can live with safety, dignity, and mutual respect.

"וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֣וּ כׇֽל־הַ֠קָּהָ֠ל הַשָּׁבִ֨ים מִן־הַשְּׁבִ֥י ׀ סֻכּוֹת֮ וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ בַסֻּכּוֹת֒ כִּ֣י לֹֽא־עָשׂ֡וּ מִימֵי֩ יֵשׁ֨וּעַ בִּן־נ֥וּן כֵּן֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַתְּהִ֥י שִׂמְחָ֖ה גְּדוֹלָ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃" (נחמיה ח׳:י״ז)

"The whole community that returned from the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths—the Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun to that day—and there was very great rejoicing." (Nehemiah 8:17)