Jewish communities around the world celebrated with their Israeli counterparts on Monday at the release of the last living hostages who had been abducted by Gazan terrorist organizations during the October 7 massacre.
Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia executive director Marcos Peckel told The Jerusalem Post that the community felt a sense of joy and relief for the 20 hostages, who included Israel-Colombia citizen Elkana Bohbot.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews also used the words “immense relief” and “profound joy” to describe their feelings about the return of the hostages.
Board President Phil Rosenberg in a Monday statement thanked international leaders, chief among them US President Donald Trump, and those in the British Isles who had advocated for the captives.
British community activists had given “countless hours to support the hostages, including organizing and attending vigils, adopting hostages, undertaking legal representation for the families, or simply displaying the yellow ribbon,” said Rosenberg. “These efforts reflect our eternal bond with Israel and its people.”
The board welcomed the other terms of the September 29 peace plan being initiated, including the surge of aid for Gazans, but also expressed grief for the Israeli families that were set to receive the bodies of hostages from Gaza.
“We have all had enough of war,” said Rosenberg. “Now is the time for peace.”
Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) president Yonathan Arfi said on social media that he was elated for the family of ex-hostage Matan Angrest, who had been hosted by CRIF the week before in lobbying efforts for his release.
“I am thinking of all the hostage families for whom every hour since October 7 has lasted an eternity," said Arfi. "I am thinking of the victims' families who will finally be able to begin their mourning."
'Entire Jewish world holding their breaths for two years'
The Zionist Federation of Australia said on X/Twitter that the entire Jewish world had been holding its breath for two years, but as celebrations commenced, it cautioned that the day would be difficult for others.
“Despite the relief and sense of hope, we cannot forget the dozens of families who are still waiting for the opportunity to bury their loved ones,” said the federation. “Nor can we forget the 1,200 who were slaughtered on October 7, and all those who have lost their lives since that day. Even as some families are finally reunited, others have been told that the terrorists responsible for killing their loved ones are being released as part of the peace deal.”
The Jewish Federations of North America hoped that the day marked the beginning of healing for the hostages, families, and Israel.
The federation said that diaspora communities maintained an empty chair at their Shabbat and holiday tables and wore yellow ribbons on their lapels in solidarity with those who had been taken.
“Today we rejoice as the 20 surviving hostages come home to their loved ones and finally fill the empty chairs at our tables and begin mending our broken hearts,” the federation said in a Monday statement. “Jewish Federations across North America and Jews everywhere celebrate this long-awaited moment of relief and joy, standing in solidarity with the families and the people of Israel.”
Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina wrote on Facebook on Monday that this was the moment that the community had been waiting and praying for over the last two years. Since the October 7 massacre, the community had not been the same, and it accompanied Israelis with “every hug, every desperate cry, every tear, every caress, every glance toward heaven.”
The hostages would finally “be reunited with their loved ones to begin what will be a long and difficult recovery process.”
AMIA added that it hoped “that in the coming hours the families of those killed in captivity will be able to receive their remains so they can have a sacred burial and rest in peace.”
On Sunday, Hernan Feler, nephew of former hostage Ofelia Feler, announced during a soccer game in Argentina that the hostages would be returning.
Scandinavian pro-Israel group Med Israel for fred (MIFF) said on Facebook that the surviving hostages were “finally coming home” after “738 days in Hamas captivity.”
Conference of European Rabbis president Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt said his heart was filled with jubilation, recalling the prophet Isaiah’s vision of the “ransomed return and come to Zion with song... sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
He praised Trump for his leadership, but also the IDF soldiers who risked and sacrificed to ensure the hostages’ return. He highlighted the solidarity of Jewish people “from Austria to Australia,” lighting candles each Shabbat with tearful prayers for the hostages, and reciting passages from Psalms at synagogue.
“The road to recovery is far from over,” said Goldschmidt. “The future remains uncertain, and the path of our nation is strewn with pain and loss. Yet today, as we witness the return of our brothers and sisters from their horrific captivity, our sorrow is mingled with song, our tears with gratitude. We thank President Trump for his leadership in this exchange.”
World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said in a statement that the welcoming of the 20 hostages was the moment that the Israeli and Jewish people had prayed and fought for. He thanked Trump for refusing to allow terrorism to be rewarded. In addition, he called for the acknowledgment of the role that Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt played in bringing Hamas to the negotiating table. Lauder was also quick to note that the plan proposed by Trump had yet to be fully implemented.
“This is a time to rejoice, but we remain incomplete as we await the return of the remaining 28 hostages who perished during their cruel captivity,” said Lauder. “We cannot allow Hamas to exploit or evade this agreement. The international community must finally put an end to the decades of terror and retribution that have strangled the people of Gaza.”
Tobias Holcman contributed to this report.