Today, the hearts of the Jewish community are once again broken. 

For over 500 days, we have prayed for the safe return of every single hostage that was stolen from their homeland and torn away from their loved ones by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, 2023. 

Along the way, we have rejoiced as many of the hostages were returned home, and mourned upon learning that many others did not survive. 

Today, our hearts are heavy following the return of four bodies to Israel, one of whom was identified as Oded Lifshitz. We await the identification of the remaining bodies, which media reports have suggested are likely Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. 

At 84, Oded Lifshitz was among the oldest of the hostages. He was a founder of Kibbutz Nir Oz and an ardent peace activist, volunteering with the "Road to Recovery" program that helped transport sick Palestinian children to Israeli hospitals for treatment. His wife Yocheved was also taken hostage on October 7th, and released two weeks later. 

As we await official identification of the remaining bodies, our thoughts are with the Bibas family, whose plight has been a symbol of Hamas's barbarity. Images of Shiri tightly clutching her two, young, red-headed sons, 4-year-old Ariel and 9-month-old Kfir, as they were abducted by terrorists are etched on our minds. We marked Ariel and Kfir's birthdays in captivity with orange balloons, wondering how the youngest of the 250 hostages were faring, hoping they would celebrate their next birthdays in freedom. 

Our hearts are with husband and father Yarden Bibas, who was himself taken hostage and released at the beginning of this month. 

In moments such as these, our communities rely on one another to come together, embrace each other, and provide strength.