Dear Friends,

I’m writing to you with anticipation and so many emotions. Like many of you, I’ve been watching and reading the news with bated breath as progress has evolved over the last several days.

According to Israeli and U.S. news reports, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire deal — which includes the staged release of hostages. This could be the moment we’ve been anxiously waiting and praying for.

Pending approval by Israel’s security cabinet at an 11:00 a.m. IST meeting tomorrow, the agreement will allow for hostages to be released in phases, potentially as early as this Sunday.

It has been 467 days since the atrocities of October 7, 2023.

For many of us in the Greater Boston Jewish community, our hearts have been in Israel for these 467 days. Of the 251 individuals abducted on October 7, 2023, 98 remain in Gaza, with the fate of some still unknown. Each one a son, a daughter, a mother, a child, a grandparent, a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend... Each one a world unto themselves.

We know the hostages by name, we feel that they are our family too, and we know that we will not be whole until they are all returned home. The Greater Boston community has strongly and emphatically expressed its love and support for Israel in these last 15 months and stood with our Israeli brothers and sisters. I’ve been to Israel multiple times since the war started, joined by community members and colleagues, and, on every solidarity mission, we have sat and spoken with hostage families.

We know that there are still so many questions and that even when this deal is approved and finalized, the pain and suffering of so many will not diminish. Nothing is guaranteed, and Israel’s safety and security are still real concerns. But we will continue to hope and pray that all the hostages return home, that this ceasefire will hold, that soldiers will return to their families, and that aid will reach those in need.

We at CJP remain in close contact with our partners in Israel, including our friends at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, who will communicate urgent needs of the families as this situation develops. We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more.