Today is a day of deep joy.

We are celebrating the return home of Ron Gvili, the final Israeli hostage, after 843 days in captivity. Nearly two and a half years, an unthinkable amount of time. And yet today, his body is finally home.

After 843 days, you can finally take off your hostage pins and necklaces.

Moments like this remind us why hope matters.

Across Israel and throughout Jewish communities around the world, hearts are full. Families are breathing again. Communities are holding one another just a little tighter. This is what it looks like when perseverance meets faith, when a nation refuses to forget even a single one of its own.

We don’t know what comes next for Israel. The future remains uncertain, as it so often does in our history. But today, we allow ourselves to feel gratitude. Today, we allow ourselves to celebrate life. And above all, we pray for the greatest possible prosperity, peace, and strength for Israel and for the entire region.

Through joy and through pain, one truth remains constant: Israel will persevere.

AM YISRAEL CHAI 🇮🇱
Justin Yehuda