Letter to President Trump: No Ceasefire without the Hostages
Following the American military action last Saturday and the growing momentum toward a reset in the Middle East, Nolan Lebovitz, Senior Rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom, a leading Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles, sent President Trump a letter. The Jewish community must remain vigilant in its advocacy and steadfast in its role in this country. Rabbi Lebovitz encourages all Jewish leaders across the United States to use their voices and prominence to continue urging our leaders to bring our family home. No ceasefire can be considered without the release of all of the hostages. Below is the letter he sent to the White House.
Dear Mr. President,
The Jewish community will forever be grateful for your decision to greenlight the usage of American military might to resolve the global threat of a pending nuclear Iran. Your bold action will prove to reshape a safer Middle East. Today, Israel is more secure. Today, America is more secure. Today, the world is more secure.
At the same time, as tempting as a wide reaching deal might seem that may involve a handful of countries in the region, I must raise my voice in this moment on behalf of the voiceless who still suffer in the dungeon tunnels of Gaza. You are uniquely positioned at this time to demand from Iran, Qatar, and Egypt — from all of those who touch the puppet strings of Hamas — to demand the immediate release of all of the abducted hostages from the Hamas invasion and atrocities of October 7, 2023.
The Jewish people will not be able to rest until we are restored to a sense of wholeness once again. Parents await the opportunity to hug more than a dozen of their stolen living children. Closure will only be possible for dozens of grieving families when they are able to receive the decomposing deceased bodies of their loved ones and hold a proper burial.
The strong light of Lady Liberty’s lantern that you shone on Fordow must not end at Fordow. That same light must now beam into the dark tunnels under Gaza. Just as you demanded and liberated Edan Alexander and so many others, we cannot allow any ceasefire without the return of our hostages. America has always opposed hostage-taking – from Iran holding American hostages in 1979 to today. The fate of the hostages depends on your bold moral clarity at this moment.
May your work and the work of Special Envoy Witkoff prove successful in every measure during this negotiation. May God always bless the State of Israel. May God always bless the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz, PhD
