The Merrick Jewish Centre gathered in solemn celebration on Oct. 13 to mark a moment many had prayed for over two years — the release of the final 20 Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.
The 15-minute ceremony, which was led by Rabbi Josh Dorsch, was held just before the evening’s Shemini Atzeret Festival service, took place on the synagogue’s front lawn, where photographs of the 20 hostages had stood on display since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
The October ceasefire deal that secured the release of the final hostages was brokered through international mediation involving Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The 20 freed Israelis had been among the more than 250 people kidnapped during Hamas’s surprise assault on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel and sparked a devastating war in Gaza.
In the months that followed, the hostage crisis became a symbol of global anguish — families of the abducted holding vigils, marches, and prayer gatherings around the world. At the Merrick Jewish Centre, members had erected the 20 photos as a daily reminder of those still in captivity.
For those assembled, the moment was one of both celebration and mourning — a testament to the endurance of faith amid years of uncertainty, and to the belief that every return, however delayed, is a sacred victory.
“It’s been a very tumultuous two years,” Dorsch said of the ceremony. “There are still very mixed emotions. Right now, we’re waiting for the return of 30 deceased hostages, so that they could be returned for burial. But, at the end of the day, with all the living hostages returned who didn't have a chance to be rehabilitated and to come back into life, we are hopeful that this can be the first step and what we're going to go and be a much more lasting piece of the region.”
The pictures that stood on stands were gently removed as congregants recited blessings of gratitude and remembrance.
Dorsch wrote a letter to the congregants earlier that week, which expressed both joy and reflection.
“After two years, our prayers have been answered: all the remaining living hostages were returned home,” the letter read. “We give thanks to God, to those who worked tirelessly for their release, and to the families who never stopped hoping.”
The letter invoked the Jewish blessing said upon the freeing of captives — Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam, Matir Asurim, translated as “Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who frees the captives.”
“Today we say that blessing with full hearts,” the letter continued. “We express profound gratitude that the remaining 20 are once again in the embrace of their families. Yet we also hold space for the complexity of this moment — for the deceased hostages that have not yet returned, for the lives lost, for the families still waiting, and for the long road of healing that lies ahead for all of us.”
