Since October 7, 2023, hundreds have gathered time and time again in Central Park, rallying to bring the hostages home. The rally on Sunday, February 23, marked a staggering 500 days since the hostages have been held in captivity.

All who addressed the large crowd, such as Ilana Gritzewsky, emphasized the dire need to get the hostages home. Gritzewsky, herself a former hostage who spent 55 days in Hamas captivity, advocated for the release of her partner hostage Matan Zangauker.

“My life was turned apart on October 7th, and ever since I have been living in a nightmare that refused to end,” Gritzewsky said. “I wake up every morning with the same burning questions: Where is Matan, if he’s alive, if he’s [in] pain.”

Gal Gilboa-Dalal and Ilay David spoke about their brothers Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David who are hostages, as well as best friends. “Guy, my baby brother, is a joyful person, funny, kind and very responsible,” stated Gal.

“Guy has the most special relationship with his family,” Gal continued. “He is best friends for both me and our little sister Gaya. He never lets his parents worry, and he’s taking such good care of them.

“Guy has so many hobbies, but mostly he is a musician that plays the guitar. He enjoyed playing with friends and has so many that love him so much.”

Ilay described his brother and their relationship: “Evyatar has the soul of a musician. A gentle, beautiful spirit that comes alive through his music. He has a beautiful voice and has been playing guitar since he was 12. Our bond as brothers is woven through melodies and harmonies.

“Every Friday night, we have a tradition: I play the piano, he plays the guitar, and together we fill our home with music. It’s more than just a ritual. It’s our language, our connection, our way of sharing joy.”

Gal and Ilay also spoke about the propaganda video that Hamas released on February 22, showing Guy and Evyatar being forced to watch the bizarre and cruel Hamas ceremony where hostages about to be freed are paraded on stage.

With a sense of hope, Ilay exclaimed: “Evyatar is alive! Guy is alive!” However, he continued, “we can see it in their eyes, in their frail bodies, they are running out of time. They are suffering; they are fading; every second they remain in captivity their lives hang in the balance.”

For others, the fight is to bring home the bodies of murdered hostages.

In early December, the IDF confirmed that American-Israeli Omer Neutra was killed during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Up until that time, Omer’s family fought day and night to get him released from captivity, in the hopes of seeing him alive. Now, Omer’s family is fighting to bring his body home.

Omer’s father, Ronen, stated: “Hamas is still holding on to him and the remains of close to 34 hostages, murdered captives, against any international law and any religious values and principles. Omer who fought for all of us [as an IDF tank platoon commander] deserves a dignified burial, and we deserve a place to mourn.”

Jack Lew, former Treasury Secretary and U.S. ambassador to Israel, not only called for the return of the hostages, but also discussed how the Palestinian Authority needs to be part of the solution, which drew jeers from the crowd.

Influencer Lizzy Savesty, who attended the rally, referred to Lew’s comments as “tone deaf” on Instagram, particularly as so many hostage family members were present.

Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), however, was warmly embraced by the crowd with cheers of gratitude and shouts of “governor,” which prompted Torres to respond, “I will always stand with you.” (Many would like the congressman to run in the New York gubernatorial election.)

Displaying his unwavering commitment to Israel and the Jewish people, Torres stated: “These past few days have been unbearable, and those of us outside the Jewish community should be checking in with our Jewish brothers and sisters and asking them, ‘How are you doing?’ and telling them, ‘I’m thinking about you,’ telling them ‘I love you.’

“I have long felt that we should treat the Jewish community with the same empathy and sensitivity that we treat every other minority in our society. But we must do more than check in privately. We must stand with you publicly when it matters most.”

Continued Torres: “People often ask me: ‘Why do you stand up and speak out so forcefully and frequently for the hostages and against antisemitism?’ And I simply reply, ‘The question is not why have I chosen to stand up and speak out. The question is why so many others have chosen to stand by and remain silent.’”

Drawing attention to the utter lack of support by others, Torres said: “The silence has been so deafening, the selective outrage has been so overwhelmingly one-sided against Israel, that Hamas has felt emboldened to hold hostages for more than 15 months, for more than 500 days. Instead of denouncing Israel for defending itself, the world should be pressuring Hamas to let the hostages go.”

Lastly, understanding the significance of the saying “Never again,” Torres remarked: “As a non-Jew, as an honorary member of the tribe, I will always stand with you not only in hoping, but fighting for a world where the hostages are brought home, and where October 7th can never be repeated.

“Never Again’ is not a slogan, it is a sacred covenant between the world and the Jewish people and we as Americans have a special role in making that special covenant a reality in the lives of the Jewish People.”

The Link spoke with Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz (R,C-Oyster Bay), who attended the rally and stated, “At the 500 day mark, it’s important that every voice in Government makes their stance known, makes it known that we need to work as hard as we can with President Trump, with the Administration, to bring our hostages home.”

The Link also spoke with Simon Deng, a former Sudanese slave, who has been strongly advocating for the hostages’ release. “We will not stop fighting until every [hostage] is home with his family,” he said. “And we want to tell the fellow Jewish community that you are not alone. The time has come for all of us to join hands and stop the brutality and demonization of the entire Jewish community.”

As Deng stated, the time has come. We must get the hostages home, now.

Judith Falk is the creator of the Upper West Side Shtetl Facebook Group. You can follow her on instagram @nyc.shtetl. She is a lawyer by day and a former legal reporter.