The Living Hostages are Home at Last: 18 Reflections from Israel and Beyond
October 13, 2025 is a day that won’t soon be forgotten. The remaining living hostages came home after 738 days—a true miracle culminating in a collective exhale that was palpable across continents.
The number’s significance is powerful…day 738. 7+3+8…18. Chai. Life. On this day, life was restored—for the hostages themselves, for their families, and for all of us who have been fighting for their return every day for the last two years.
Of course, the work is not done. The bodies of murdered hostages are still being held in Gaza—their families deserve the closure of a proper burial for their loved ones. Anti-Jewish hatred is still pervasive, a fact that won’t vanish overnight just because our people came home. And the list goes on.
But still, dare I say it…it was a good day. The first one in a long time that we smiled. Cried tears of joy. Felt the release of the 2-year collective mission to bring them home. Reveled in the sight of the reunions we ached to see for 738 days.
I wanted to capture the authentic and complex emotions reverberating across the globe on this miraculous day. Keeping in the spirit of Chai, I asked 18 people a simple question:
What are you feeling in this moment?
These are their answers.
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Grateful and optimistic. Through the determination of its people—and the bravery of its soldiers—Israel has managed, with help from the United States, to bring home all its living hostages and reshape the future of the Middle East in ways that seemed unimaginable just a few months ago. While the Middle East remains a volatile and violent place—and although we would be foolish to try to predict what the next five or ten years might bring—it’s important to acknowledge how far we have come since the horrors of October 7.
Roy Altman / Federal Judge & Author of ‘Israel on Trial’ / Miami, FL
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I kept thinking it’s a dream. Almost too afraid to say it aloud: They are alive! After 738 days in Gaza hell…the last remaining living hostages have finally come home. And the images…the reunions, the families, the cries, the laughter, the kisses, the embraces, the sheer joy like no other – felt like my own family! I knew their names, their mothers, their favorite dishes, girlfriends, the songs they played on the piano, the young kids waiting for Aba, and especially, the love stories – ahhh, Noa and Avinatan reunited. Two years so many of us have fought without stopping for their release. And as they waved, smiling at us from IDF helicopters, I thought, ‘Our Giborim.’ A triumph of the spirit. A resilience, for the entire world to see, even after they were starved, chained, beaten, isolated, violated endlessly. EVERY FEELING I OWN went into this magnificent moment of freedom. A new day is dawning…prayers were answered, new roads are being paved, world leaders coming together. And after two years of bloodshed, HOPE is shining its golden light for the first time on the entire region.
Am Yisrael Chai — Our People are Home.
Lisa Barr / Author / Deerfield, IL
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My mind keeps replaying a variation of Simon and Garfunkel’s line: “hello hope, my old friend.” It feels like when a yoga instructor tells you to unclench your toes – and only then do you notice it. For two years we’ve held, and grown used to, the weight of a stone on our heart. Today it lifted and we need to get to know ourselves without it. It’s tempting to look only ahead and think of a brighter future. But lighting a yahrzeit candle that night, Simchat Torah the Hebrew date of October 7, was a harsh reminder of how we got here. Holding all these truths, I am filled with hope that feels like an old friend who could disappear again if we don’t learn from where it started.
Rachel Caplin / Tech Exec & Author / Raanana, Israel
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It is the magical mama bear exhale of having all of your kids home sleeping under one roof. And it is also winning the championship game of a season, but knowing there is so much training to do for the next one. In our case, the next season starts today. We are now in a fight to get the remaining deceased hostages back. We are fighting to make our borders secure. We are fighting a disinformation war. But all of these battles are easier to fight now that we have all of our kids back under one roof and last season’s championship title. Our team is exhaling, healing, strengthening, and ready for the next battle.
Samantha Ettus / Bestselling Author, Speaker and Activist / Los Angeles, CA
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On October 13th, like every morning, I checked the news. A huge smile surfaced on my face: the hostages were coming back! I went out for a walk with my dogs. Same time, same park, same route, but I was seeing the world with new eyes. The pain that weighed on my heart for such a long time was gone! I was overwhelmed with joy.
With the hostages back home, I realized that the struggle, the pain, the daily painting, they all fulfilled their purpose. I will never forget that moment in time. The world can be a magnificent place.
Elisabetta Furcht / Watercolor Artist / Turin, Italy
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Thank G-d, Trump, Netanyahu and all of our soldiers – all the living hostages have come back home. We still have more to return and hopefully this will get done soon.
This day was a day of joy for anyone and everyone in Israel, for every Jew around the world and all those who are on the side of life and not that of death. All people who value lives, all people who want the good to prevail were in seventh heaven on the day all the live hostages returned home.
Let us hope that this will be the last time any Jew and/or Israeli will be taken hostage. עם ישראל חי
Ilan Greenfield / Publisher, Gefen Publishing House / Jerusalem
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The return of Israeli hostages is more than a headline, it’s a sacred moment of justice, resilience, and answered prayer. I stand with all people of conscience in honoring the strength of the Israeli people and those who made these reunions possible. May this moment renew our shared hope for lasting peace and a future built on courage, unity, and human dignity.
Darius Jones / President and CEO, NBEC / Atlanta, GA
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Taking a collective breath and finally knowing our hostages are home…there is no feeling to describe watching the reunions. That same day, I cathartically removed the yellow ribbon from my jacket and changed my Bring Them Home profile pic on Instagram. While we can finally move on mentally and emotionally, we must never forget.
Joanie Leeds / GRAMMY Winning Singer-Songwriter / NYC
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The nonstop activism of the global Jewish community and our allies have paid off. The reunion videos are both amazing and surreal. I also know that without President Trump, none of this would’ve been possible. I feel incredibly grateful and I hope we are on the road to a lasting peace.
Aliza Licht / Founder of Leave Your Mark, Author, & Podcaster / New York, NY
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Since the release of the first hostages, I have been utterly transfixed by watching the reunions. On some level, I feel like a voyeur intruding on something that is so personal and private. On the other hand, this was a pain that was felt by Klal Yisrael. And it is as if we are being reunited with people whose stories and whose faces have been imprinted in our minds for the past two years. In my ears, even when I am not watching the videos, I can hear the wailing, the deep cries of joy and of pain. And the reunions, particularly of the young children with their parents, is something I will never ever forget.
Ambassador (ret.) Deborah E. Lipstadt, Ph.D. / Distinguished University Professor, Emory University / Atlanta, GA
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I’m very much an American Jew. My husband served two tours in Iraq with the U.S. military. An American flag waves proudly outside our home, just twenty miles from Washington, D.C. To the disbelief of many when I say it—I don’t have family in Israel. Yet that morning, sitting glued to the television, I felt as though my family were coming home.
I didn’t let myself think beyond my sheer happiness. We all know the road ahead, for both the hostages and for peace, will be long and difficult. Healing is never as simple as a hug on a tarmac. But for one day, I gave myself permission to feel joy. And hope. And pride for a people and a nation that would fight so hard to bring every living hostage home.
Jean Meltzer / Author / Virginia
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I believe that what I feel in this moment is shared by so many whose hearts have been torn since October 7th. Today, I carry joy, gratitude, and sadness all at once. Joy for the freed hostages and their families, hope for peace, and gratitude for the IDF, the people of Israel, the diaspora, our allies, and all who stand with truth and light. Yet, there is also deep sadness for those who were hurt or murdered, and for the painful reality we now face with the unmasking of antisemitism around the world.
Above all, I feel hopeful. A profound optimism that was born from witnessing the unity and love of the Jewish people, now so alive, both in Israel and across the diaspora. A resilience rooted in faith, in life, and in our enduring values.
Am Yisrael Chai. From a proud Jew.
Miriam Merenfeld / Owner & Designer, Miriam Merenfeld Jewelry / Miami, FL
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To once again see and be seen. The resilience of a family full of love and light, a people valued and trashed over and over again and to once again celebrate the joy of life. The giving of the Torah for us was the beginning. What a gift. With such gratitude, I say messiah now! To life, to love, I love Jew.
Joel Mesler / Artist / Long Island, NY
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I am feeling two very distinct feelings right now. The first is probably not a popular answer, but I’m feeling scared. October 7th opened up the gates of antisemitism in a way I never thought possible after the Holocaust. I’ve seen, read and watched things I never thought possible during our lifetime. And while yes, the living hostages are home, I don’t think that antisemitism is simply going to disappear.
But I’m also feeling a great deal of hope. Not only did our living hostages come home today, they came out of the gates of hell, determined to live their lives. And while October 7th brought upon a level of Jew hatred I never thought possible, it also has brought the Jewish community together in a way I’ve never seen before in my life. The Jewish community of today is loud and proud, and we’re not going to take the hate without a fight. This week has brought me hope that we can in fact come together to show the world that we aren’t going anywhere.
Lindsay Pinchuk / Consultant, Entrepreneur + Host of Dear FoundHer… / Chicago, IL
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October 13th, 2025 will be remembered as the day Jews and our allies finally exhaled. The return of the hostages is not about politics or diplomacy; it is about humanity restored. They are names, families, and souls. And when the cameras turn off, we will continue to carry them – and their healing – in our collective heart.
This moment is not the end. It is a sacred beginning – proof that the Jewish spirit remains unbroken and that the courage of our allies endures. Now we must rise to meet the next chapter with the same moral clarity that brought us here.
In the West, that means holding our leaders accountable and refusing to allow extremists like Zohran Mamdani to gain political access. It means dismantling the BDS movement and the network of NGOs that fuel antisemitic propaganda. It means depoliticizing our children’s curriculums and restoring truth as a shared civic value. And it means building broad, values-based coalitions – Jewish and non-Jewish alike – united by a belief in freedom, dignity, and life.
Only then will the breath we take today become the foundation for a lasting peace.
Alyssa Rosenheck / Author of ‘White. Blonde. Jew: A Call to End Extremism, Speak Up, and Reclaim Center’ / Nashville, TN
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In two words: tremendous catharsis. We made Aliyah from California 10 months into the war, and although our integration has been full of joy, we have felt constant fear, sadness, and concern for the hostages. Israel is a small country, but it feels like a big family. When our people are suffering, we really feel it. We were on a surf trip in Morocco when the hostages were released, and when we watched the video footage of families reuniting, we all just danced around and cried tears of joy in the privacy of our hotel room. It was the moment we had been waiting for, and it was the ultimate emotional release.
Dave Shlachter / Investor / Tel Aviv
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Of course we are very, very happy. Something is released—we’re feeling much stronger as a nation and much more together. But from my point of view, now will be the time for the people to start rehabilitation and the healing process. It will be quiet outside, but a lot of stress inside. We are waiting for a wave of things that we’re not sure what will be…it should be very challenging.
Danny Stirin / Founder & Owner of Danny’s Farm (Resilience farm offering trauma & PTSD treatment) / Sitria, Israel
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I’m feeling hopeful but still heavy-hearted. It’s an incredible relief that no more living hostages are suffering in Gaza, yet we can’t fully celebrate while so many of our murdered hostages haven’t been brought home. The relief and the pain exist together. This war isn’t over until every one of them is home.
Melinda Strauss / Jewish Content Creator and Author of ‘Eat Jewish’ / New York
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One thing is clear—we’re in this together.
Though there’s a long road ahead, the living hostages returning home was a critical step for our hearts and minds to begin to heal. If anyone can survive and thrive in a moment like this, it’s the Jewish people.
L’chaim…to life.
