
Dear Friends:
Last night, like so many of you, I sat awake long into the night watching every update, every image, and every confirmation that our hostages were finally returning home. For two years we have prayed, rallied, and hoped for the day our living hostages would return to Israel. And now that it has come, we are left to ask: what now?
Do we finally breathe a sigh of relief?
Do we continue wearing our yellow ribbons until our deceased are returned?
Do we reconnect with someone who held a differing view, but shared our passion for peace?
Or does “the day after” feel more like the first day of a new and uncertain tomorrow?
Our Torah reminds us in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life.” This commandment is not passive — it is a call to action. To choose life means to take the moments of relief and joy, even in the shadow of pain, and build from them a world rooted in compassion, justice, and coexistence.
Today we celebrate life; the literal return of life to families who feared they might never embrace their loved ones again. But our celebration is also tempered by the enormity of what remains. Will antisemitism recede? Will the demonstrations that vilify Israel and Jews cease? Will our college students be able to walk on campus wearing their Star of David, without fear of intimidation and threats? Or are we simply entering a new phase of reality where our resilience will again be tested?
The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l taught that “hope is not optimism; it is the belief that together we can make the world different.” Hope is not a naïve sigh of relief; it is the fuel for rebuilding. The Torah’s command to “remember” (zachor) is always paired with a call to act. We cannot only remember our hostages and their suffering; we must also act to rebuild the bridges of understanding, to educate against hate, and to reaffirm the values that bind us as Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people who live, who endure, and who choose life.
As the sun has set in Israel after an emotional and historic day, may we hold both gratitude and responsibility in our hearts. Gratitude that lives were saved. Responsibility to ensure those lives, and our own, are part of a future defined not by fear, but by faith, purpose, and unity.
May today be the first of many mornings when we wake up without wrestling with how we think this conflict should end and instead focus on what we will do to shape what comes next — together.
With hope and solidarity,,
Danny Cohn
President & CEO
Jewish Federation of St. Louis