Amid the horrors of the last 50+ days, we have been heartened to see approximately 70 hostages returned to their families. As long as Hamas keeps handing over hostages, we are grateful for the pause in fighting, and grateful to Israel for prioritizing the rescue of our brothers and sisters from southern Israel, who have been caged, tortured and denied basic necessities during their captivity in Gaza.

As the calendar moves inevitably forward, we daven with all our hearts that our world that has been turned upside down in so many ways—from the ‘justification’ of barbarism on our high school and college campuses to the massive global convulsion of antisemitism—will somehow return to a place of safety for Jews and all those who seek peace.

We share the solidarity and the pain of the Jewish people in these days, and we hope the positive images of children coming home and grandmothers returned to their families will sustain us in the tough days ahead.