Hostage Heartbreak

Rabbi Davis Fainsilber, JCOGS

"Out of the depths I cry out to You, O G-d." Psalms 130
Our hearts are heavy with profound sorrow as we witness the unbearable pain of this moment. The news of returned murdered hostages, peace-activist Oded Lifshitz, young child Ariel Bibas, and baby Kfir Bibas—it shakes us to our core—along with the knowledge that the children’s mother Shiri Bibas’s body was not returned. We grieve with the families, we grieve for our Jewish people, and we grieve for all innocent lives lost in this ongoing tragedy. It becomes apparent once again that the greatest heartbreak is reserved for the babies and children taken too soon.

In times like these, a time of horrific inhumanity and monstrosity on display, we hold fast to our shared values—justice, compassion, and the sacredness of each human life. After more than 500 days in captivity, let us come together in prayer for the release of the remaining hostages, as we hope and yearn for a future where peace is not just a dream but a reality for all.

With everything that is broken and shattered in this world, may we never lose sight of each other’s humanity. Looking with gratitude to being together in community for Shabbat, may we all find strength in one another.