Dear Friends,

Very exciting and long-awaited news has come out of Israel today, October 13th. The twenty remaining living hostages, taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, have been released and are now back in Israel, united with their loved ones! It is a time of much joy and celebration in the Jewish State and for all of us who care about Israel and the Jewish people.

This wonderful development is the result of a US-brokered agreement between Israel and Hamas. The terrorist organization released the living hostages as a result of intense diplomatic and military pressure. They certainly did not willingly give up hostages they had used so successfully as leverage against Israel. The next step of the agreement calls for the release of the remaining twenty-eight deceased hostages, murdered on October 7 or after being taken captive. As of this writing, only four bodies have been released and the identity of those is still to be confirmed. This means there are still twenty-four unaccounted for and it remains to be seen if and when Hamas will carry through and deliver every last one.

The agreement between Israel and Hamas was signed this past Friday, in the midst of the biblical holiday of Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles. Sukkot is a joyous seven-day festival of thanksgiving observed by Jews worldwide in remembrance of God's protection and provision for the Israelites during their forty years in the desert. The holiday is referred to as "the season of our joy" because according to Deut. 16:11-15 and Lev. 23:39-43, those who observe Sukkot do so with rejoicing. Without a doubt, the latter part of this year's Feast of Tabernacles has been more joyous in anticipation of the remaining hostages coming home!

Sukkot is immediately followed by the holiday of Simchat Torah, which literally means "rejoicing of/over the Torah." This joyous day is observed by dancing with Torah scrolls held high in celebration of the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle and the beginning of the next. Simchat Torah begins this year on October 15 according to the Gregorian calendar, but in 2023, it fell on October 7th. 

It was on what is supposed to be a most joyful holiday that Hamas terrorists carried out their genocidal attack on the people of Israel, murdering 1,200 people, wounding thousands more, and taking over 250 hostages to Gaza - men, women, children and elderly. But THIS year on Simchat Torah, Jews and their supporters everywhere can rejoice that the last living hostages have been set free!

Tricia was in Tel Aviv today and joined multiple thousands of people at Hostages Square, established almost two years ago as a center of advocacy for the hostages. The sense of joy and celebration was palpable, replacing the indescribable pain of having hostages in Gaza for two long years. As everyone watched the living hostages being released and reunited with their loved ones, they were ecstatic, relieved, and as many said, able to take a deep breath again.

The release of all remaining living hostages is a dramatic and critical step in the healing of a nation, traumatized by the atrocities committed two years ago. Let us rejoice with the freed hostages, their families and friends, and the entire people of Israel! And let us pray for the recovery of all remaining deceased hostages, so they can be brought back to Israel for proper burial.

Happy Simchat Torah!
The people of Israel live!
Am Yisrael Chai!