500 days.
Who would have thought that, 500 days after October 7, women, children and seniors would still be held hostage in Gaza?
The collective loss of these past 16 months weighs heavily on our hearts. My thoughts are with the souls we’ve lost and the families still reeling from the absence of those who are gone. I pray for the remaining hostages’ swift return, so the healing process can begin for them and their families.
Here in New Orleans, we were struck by a terror attack on January 1 that killed 14 and wounded 35 others, including two Israeli tourists, Adi and Yehonatan, and one Jewish-American, Steele. The way our community rallied around Adi, Yehonatan, and Steele and their families has been nothing short of spectacular.
Steele has relocated back to Florida. Adi miraculously returns to Israel today. Yehonatan has made incredible progress and, please G-d, should return to Israel soon. Though they face long recoveries, they will heal. Thank G-d.
The support they have received from our community has been nothing short of remarkable. The Jewish Endowment Foundation, the Jewish Federations of North America, and many individual donors all stepped up in unprecedented ways. It fills me with pride to be a part of this community.
At the same time, our Federation mission group returned last week from India, where we explored the culture, history, and people of this wondrous country. We met Jews who trace their roots back two millennia, as well as those whose families emigrated from Iraq 170 years ago.
The two Shabbatot we spent in Mumbai and Delhi were inspirational and moving. To pray in synagogues halfway across the world; to share a Shabbat dinner with new friends; to immediately connect and feel at home with people we had just met is a testament to the bond and connection we as the Jewish people share.
I felt that connection last Friday evening, as I sat in the hospital with Yehonatan, Adi, and their fathers welcoming Shabbat and making kiddush together. After an unspeakable act of terrorism, these two valiant young men were brought back to life by not just their doctors and nurses and their loving families, but by the support of their community. It doesn’t get more powerful than that.
Our people’s strength transcends time, distance, and familiarity. We are mutually connected through our love of Israel and of Jewish life, spirituality, and values. That is our source of energy, pride, and resolve.
Whether it is 500 days, 500 months, or 500 years later; despite immense pain and anguish; our determination and spirit will never crumble. Our bonds are unbreakable.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Robert French, CEO