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THOUGHTS ON THE RETURN OF HOSTAGES

Writer's picture: Rabbi Jeffrey L. FalickRabbi Jeffrey L. Falick
Families reunited on January 19, 2025
Families reunited on January 19, 2025

On Sunday I spent much of the day glued to Israeli news channels as they documented the release of three hostages, young women held in Gaza for 471 days. Romi Gonen, 24, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival. Emily Damari, 28, a British-Israeli dual citizen, was kidnapped from her apartment on Kibbutz Kfar Aza together with her neighbor Doron Steinbrecher, 31. I celebrated with them as they reunited with loved ones even as I remained steeped in sadness knowing that so many have died and so many remain left behind.


Their release provided a moment of great joy amidst immense pain. It was not inevitable. And it has come at a great cost.


It is little discussed in western media, but the toll on Israelis since October 7 has been staggering. More than 800 soldiers have died in the conflict leaving thousands of children fatherless. More than 5,600 have been wounded with close to 2,000 seriously disabled. This, they also understood, would be the reality of fighting an enemy like Hamas, whose disregard for human life—both Israeli and Palestinian—is absolute.


Before joining our congregation, I participated in a fellowship in Israel. Rabbi Daniel Gordis, a prominent American-Israeli Jewish scholar, was one of my teachers. Every day he sends out a commentary on what's going on in Israel, offering reflections that often resonate deeply with me. Yesterday, he reminded readers that what happened on October 7 was not unique in Jewish history:


The Jews have been here before. We’ve lived through cataclysmic events that not only left horror and death in their wake, but that caused the Jews to rethink everything about what it meant to be a Jew. 


In large measure, the Jewish people is still around precisely because we did that re-thinking, that re-imagining, that sobered and honest assessment of what would work in the future, and what would not. We are still around because in large measure we did not try to re-create what we lost, but instead, sought to imagine what we needed to become if we were to have a future.


His words reflect a truth that defines both my Judaism (fully inclusive of Zionism) and my Humanism: survival requires not only resilience but also re-imagination. The Jewish people have endured because we have continually assessed what is necessary to move forward, even when faced with unthinkable loss. This very human ability to adapt and envision a different future shapes how I view the present moment and its challenges.


What defines Humanism as a worldview is that it is centered on human responsibility and agency. As Humanistic Jews, we chose it to describe our Judaism because we believe it is we humans who are ultimately responsible for shaping our own fate.


Since the hostages were taken, Rabbi Gordis and millions of other Jews have recited an ancient prayer, born from the recurring tragedy of captivity throughout Jewish history. It was composed as both an expression of hope and a declaration of solidarity, offering comfort at a time when action was impossible.


It says:


אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

הַנְּתוּנִים בַּצָּרָה וּבַשִּׁבְיָה

הָעוֹמְדִים בֵּין בַּיָּם וּבֵין בַּיַּבָּשָׁה

הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם

וְיוֹצִיאֵם מִצָּרָה לִרְוָחָה

וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹרָה

וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה

הָשָׁתָא בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב


Our brothers and sisters of the house of Israel,

who are in distress or captivity,

whether on sea or on land:

May God have mercy on them

and bring them from distress to relief,

from darkness to light,

and from servitude to redemption,

swiftly and soon.


As a Humanistic Jew, I have recited a different version. It is one that required only a small linguistic change while it reveals an enormous philosophical shift. I have been reciting this:


Our brothers and sisters of the house of Israel,

who are in distress or captivity,

whether on sea or on land:

May the People of Israel have mercy on them

and bring them from distress to relief,

from darkness to light,

and from servitude to redemption,

swiftly and soon.


This is why I am a Humanistic Jew: I believe that it is through our human and Jewish courage, and our collective will, that our captives will be brought from distress to relief, from darkness to light.


This is the essence of human agency—Jewish human agency—that defines my Humanistic Judaism. As Rabbi Gordis and so many others have reminded us, the world has never shown much interest in rescuing Jews. It is only when we Jews have empowered ourselves that Jews in distress have been rescued.


The work of bringing the hostages home will continue with or without this flimsy ceasefire. Whatever happens, the grim calculus that Israelis will continue to face will force them to choose between untenable options, knowing that every decision carries a heavy toll.


While I celebrated the return of three hostages, I remain painfully aware of those still in captivity: a two-year-old child who has never celebrated a birthday in freedom, an 86-year-old whose strength defies comprehension, and so many others whose fates remain unknown. For their families, there is no closure, only unbearable waiting.


This has been the cost of Hamas’s genocidal barbarism. It is why I continue to stand with Israel in demanding justice and accountability. In the meantime, I hold onto the hope of more reunions, fully aware of the immense sacrifices tied to that hope.

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