Statements On Deal To End War Between Israel & Hamas

With news of a possible ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, several local and national Jewish organizations have released statements. Click on the name below to navigate to a statement from Jewish organizations. More will be added as they are received.

Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who frees the captive

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas enthusiastically celebrates the agreement to secure the release of the Israeli hostages cruelly held in Gaza, and the advancement of a deal to end the war that Hamas launched with its brutal assault on Israeli border communities 734 days ago.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke not just for Israelis, but for the entire Jewish people, when he proclaimed: “At this hour, all of Israel stands with the hostages. All of Israel stands with their families.” As we count the minutes until our captives are free our hearts are full of both hope and anxiety that this agreement is fulfilled.

In Judaism, there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives, and prayers for their release are central to our most sacred texts and traditions. Consistent with this commandment, Jews from Tel Aviv to the Twin Cities have marched for two years demanding their release. We have implored our governments—from Jerusalem to Washington, D.C.—to prioritize their safe return. And we have never lost hope that all our hostages, both the living and the dead, would one day be restored to the loving embrace of their families.

We are grateful to President Donald Trump and his administration for their leadership, which has been essential in reaching this critical achievement. We are also thankful to members of Congress and elected officials from both parties, who never forgot how this war began or why it could not end until all the hostages were released.

Though we are fully cognizant that the days and weeks ahead will be difficult and that many critically important details remain to be worked out, today we are profoundly grateful: that barring any last-minute changes at long last our hostages are coming home; that the people of Gaza may have a chance to rebuild their lives free from Hamas’ tyranny; and that our brothers and sisters in Israel, including the brave members of the Israel Defense Forces, may finally begin to resume living their lives in relative peace.

Minneapolis and St. Paul Jewish Federations

It has been two long years of heartbreak and pain for our community and for our brothers and sisters in Israel.
This moment did not come by chance. America must remain on the world stage, and we are grateful for the work our government has done on Israel’s behalf.

It came because countless individuals refused to give up, families who spoke out, leaders who acted, and communities who stood shoulder to shoulder in unwavering faith and solidarity. To every person who prayed, advocated, marched, and negotiated for peace and hope: thank you.

There will be time to evaluate future phases of any long-term deal. Right now, our focus should be on welcoming home the hostages and providing all the support we can to their families.

While we can never, and must never, forgive or forget the immense pain and loss endured by far too many of our brothers and sisters, we must now find space to give thanks. Give thanks for the families who are once again made whole. Give thanks for the light that returns after two years of darkness. Give thanks for the unbreakable spirit of our people that continues to rise, even in the face of unimaginable suffering.

Today, we are reminded that even in our deepest pain, hope endures.

Even in our longest nights, light returns.

And together, we remain unshakably united.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Temple Israel

Just days ago, we gathered as a community to observe the High Holy Days. In our lobby, we placed a chair draped with a tallit – a poignant reminder, along with the yellow ribbons many of us have worn for the past two years, of the deep absence we feel for those missing and killed since the October 7 terrorist attack.

In our tradition, the Birkat haGomel is offered, a prayer of deep gratitude upon surviving danger: Blessed are You, Eternal One, who bestows goodness upon us. With these words, we give thanks for the return of our hostages; for families who will be reunited after two long years of pain, fear, and longing.

Even as we rejoice with those who are returning, our hearts ache for those who will not come home to their families and loved ones. We honor their memories and hold their families close in this time of unbearable grief. As a community, we carry both the tears of joy and the tears of sorrow, remembering that every life is sacred beyond measure.

In this moment, the blessing of matir asurim, the One who redeems the captives, feels real in our time. And yet we know that a long journey lies ahead. Healing of body, mind, and soul will take time. The work of building and preserving a lasting peace in our spiritual homeland is still before us. As it says in our liturgy, we must pray as if everything depends on God, but act as though everything depends on us.

May this day strengthen the hope we carried through the Days of Awe and inspire us to keep building a future of peace and wholeness. May it be God’s will.

Beth El Synagogue

For two years, we have yearned for the return of the hostages.

With gratitude for the tireless efforts of the Trump and Netanyahu administrations and the heroic bravery of the IDF, that long-awaited possibility now feels closer than ever. We can finally allow ourselves to feel a cautious sense of hope.

Our prayers remain fervent– for the safe return of every hostage, for the protection of our soldiers, for the healing of our people, and ultimately, for peace in our region.

Even as hope rises, we recognize that this moment is bound up with deep pain and uncertainty. We think of the families whose loved ones who will not return alive, and of those who have fallen defending Israel and striving to bring the hostages home. We pray that the emerging agreement will be implemented in full—so that Hamas is permanently disarmed, Gaza is deradicalized, and true security can take root. We remain deeply concerned that released terrorists may once again return to their evil ways, perpetuating the cycle of hatred and violence. We are also mindful of the innocent Gazan lives lost and the immense suffering that this war has wrought. All of this tempers our joy and reminds us of the human cost a war Israel never sought but was forced to fight.

Sukkot is called z’man simchateinu—our “time of rejoicing.” This year, our joy will only be complete when the hostages return home, when Israel is secure and Hamas no longer threatens, and when Israelis and Palestinians alike can dwell in safety, dignity, and prosperity in the Land.

Adath Jeshurun Congregation

Our hearts have been waiting for this moment. The Israeli hostages who are alive have returned home. But our hearts have not simply been waiting. They have been aching and breaking for 738 days, while beating constantly for our achim (brothers) and achayot (sisters), our siblings in Israel, whose heartbeats are thousands of miles away. They are found in every sleepless night, every waking hour, every protest, every second we demanded out loud and whispered through tears, Bring Them Home.

Our hearts have broken with anticipation. They remain broken knowing that loved ones in Israel are still waiting for the release of deceased hostages. They remain broken for the suffering in Gaza. Our hearts have space for it all. Today we also know our hearts are capable of healing next to the hurt. “Praised are You, Holy One, who frees the captives.” Those words, offered today (and every day) at our daily minyan, reverberate across time and space with a different resonance.

October 7, 2023, is seared in our consciousness. The horrors of that day are etched into our prayers. The faces of the hostages met our own each time we came to shul and approached the hostage wall in the Ritual Commons. The trauma has made its way into our songs, study sessions, and conversations. Moments of joy and sadness were pierced by the knowledge that our siblings were languishing in the tunnels, held brutally by Hamas and its vicious regime of terror. The breaking of the glass at every wedding since October 7 has reflected such a broken heart. Pieces of our own hearts have been buried in Gaza in solidarity with the hostages.

Today, we keep space for those memories and make space for new ones. Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah invite us to hold what came before, what comes now, and what comes next. It all becomes part of the Torah we carry as the rhythm of the festival invites us into the heaviness of Yizkor (memorial prayer) and the exuberance of the Hakafot (dancing with the scrolls). If these final days of the fall holidays teach us anything, God wants more time with us. Our tradition teaches God is not ready to let us go and asks us to stick around a bit longer. In whatever way we imagine God – perhaps found in the arms of embrace and in the medical and psychological caregiving for the returned hostages – let us hold one another longer.

We will continue to invest in the robust Israeli civil society that safeguards democracy, protects human rights, and preserves the human dignity of those who strive to live in security, peace, and understanding. We will continue to welcome Israeli voices to our bimah, as we did just last week from Kibbutz Holit, and build deep relationships to Israel and proud Jewish living beginning with our youngest learners. May the day come soon for Israelis and Palestinians, and for all who dwell in the region to see how the heart cracks and how the heart heals. No matter how broken, our hearts are ready to make space for dancing and mourning and many truths to flourish. Through the cracks we hope to find a path forward, a hopeful hakafah of sorts, to bring our Torah into this new day, into a light that reveals a new story.

Rabbinical Assembly and USCJ

The Rabbinical Assembly and USCJ celebrate the reports of the agreement to bring home the hostages and end the war in Gaza.
While we still await their return, we are grateful for President Donald Trump’s leadership in prioritizing this cause and brokering this agreement. We thank him for his commitment to securing the safety of the hostages and other innocent lives – both Israeli and Palestinian – while working to eliminate the threat of Hamas to Israel and the world. His efforts, supported by many others in the international community, have created a critical opening for peace.

We commend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the difficult choices he has made to secure the release of the hostages. The decision to bring home those held in captivity reflects the highest Jewish value of pikuah nefesh—the preservation of life. We stand in solidarity with the families who have suffered in anguish for nearly two years, pray for the physical and spiritual healing of their loved ones, and welcome the return of those hostages who were killed in captivity. We also offer support and comfort to those families who suffered grievous losses at the hands of Palestinian terrorists who will be freed as part of this deal.

We hold out hope that this can lead to a lasting peace in which generations of Israelis and Palestinians can live with security and dignity. As we pray each day, “Sim Shalom Ba’Olam – Grant peace to the world: goodness and blessing, grace, love, and compassion to us and all the people Israel.”

J Street

After two years of heartbreaking bloodshed, we are deeply relieved that the remaining Israeli hostages will soon return home and that this devastating war may finally be drawing to a close. Today marks the beginning of the relief that an overwhelming majority of Israelis have long demanded and that the Palestinian people in Gaza so desperately need.

This agreement is a vital first step toward lasting peace, but immense work remains to turn this fragile beginning into a durable resolution of this conflict.

We commend the American, Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators whose tireless diplomacy made this breakthrough possible.
Now, the parties must implement this agreement in good faith and take bold, sustained steps toward realizing the full US-backed 20-point plan – one that ensures Israel’s security, ends Hamas’s reign of terror, delivers a massive surge of humanitarian aid and sets the region on a path toward a comprehensive and permanent peace.

We urge all parties to seize this moment of hope with courage, accountability and commitment to steadfast diplomacy to ensure that this ceasefire becomes not just an end to the war but a beginning of peace.”

AIPAC

This is an extraordinary moment for America, Israel and the world. The enduring partnership between the United States and our ally Israel over the past two years enabled this diplomatic breakthrough and a just conclusion to the terrible war Hamas started on October 7: freeing the hostages, disarming Hamas and removing the terror group from power in Gaza. This peace deal creates a tremendous opportunity to forge a better future for Israelis, Palestinians, and people across the Middle East.

AIPAC applauds President Trump and his negotiating team for this tremendous achievement and for working together with Israel to broker this peace plan. We deeply appreciate the moral clarity and steadfast support from the overwhelming majority of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, who stood with the Jewish state throughout this war and ensured Israel had the resources it needed to achieve its objectives against Hamas.

Hamas started this war on October 7 with one of the most barbaric assaults imaginable. Since then, the Iranian-backed terror group has proceeded to use Palestinians in Gaza as human shields for its maniacal war against the Jewish state, bringing terrible death, destruction and humanitarian crises to Gaza.

We celebrate this moment even as we mourn the innocent lives that have been lost because of Hamas’ savagery. Now, America and the world must be vigilant to ensure that Hamas adheres to the terms and implementation of the peace plan.

The horror of October 7 must never again be repeated. Tonight, our hearts are with the hostage families who have endured so much over the past 733 days, the heroes who fought so valiantly to defend their nation over the past two years, and all the people of Israel.

American Jewish Committee

Hope is finally within reach.

We welcome President Trump’s announcement of a deal to free the hostages and begin to end the war. As we await the details, we look forward to the day we can finally say every hostage is home. We are grateful to the President and his Administration for their leadership in helping bring about this pivotal moment.