From October 7, 2023 to October 13, 2025
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.
On the evening of October 6, 2023, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah began. This is a joyous holiday, when it is a mitzvah (commandment) to be happy. Jews sing and dance with the Torah, and toast many L'Chaims. While many Jewish holidays can be a bit somber, Simchat Torah is a fun holiday. Hamas no doubt chose this day deliberately. In the early hours of the morning of October 7, people would be scattered, tired, and probably a bit hungover.
In 2024, Simchat Torah began on October 24. (The Jewish calendar follows the Lunar cycle, so dates shift around.) Around the world, Jews tried to be merry, but there was a sadness that those in captivity could not celebrate. We said we would "Dance for them," praying the hostages would soon be released.
On the evening of October 13, 2025, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah began again. Now, all of the living hostages have been returned to their families and friends. For the first time in nearly two years, we could celebrate without any restraints or reservations. Tonight's holiday was a joyous one for me, and I'm sure for Jews around the world.
In the summer of 2024, during a mission trip, I watched the surveillance footage of the atrocities of October 7. Many of those gruesome images will forever be burned in my mind. I wasn't sure there could ever be a video that could help reduce the sting.
This video of the hostages being reunited with his family will help. Try to watch this montage without tearing up.
Several of the grieving parents, upon seeing their sons, recited a very well-known Jewish prayer, the Shehecheyanu:
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.
These parents must have imagined this moment, over and over again, for two years. They no doubt planned what they would say and how they would act. And in the moment, the first words that left their mouths was the prayer to the Almighty, expressing thanks for letting them reach this momentous occasion. These moments should reinforce the faith in all of us.
A few related points.
First, President Trump deserves the eternal thanks of the Jewish people. He accomplished something that I didn't think was possible. In earlier days, I was quite critical of Trump, but over time, I've come to appreciate the singular and transformative talents he possesses. The Israel deal is perhaps his greatest move yet. No other President could have pulled it off.
Second, we can finally lay to rest this slander that Trump is an anti-semitic. Watch his speech before the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament). He gave thanks to the "Almighty G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." He referred to the Abraham Accords as the Avraham Accords, the way you would pronounce it in Hebrew. He celebrates that his daughter converted to Judaism, and married a Jewish person. Jews throughout Israeli, even those on the political left, celebrated President Trump. I've written before how being a Democrat is part of the American Jewish culture. Fine. I don't expect to change that norm, though I think that political homogeneity is fading.
Third, I don't pretend the road ahead is simple or easy. We can juxtapose the release of the twenty innocent hostage with the release of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Families in Gaza and the West Bank celebrated as mass murderers and terrorists were released onto the streets.
Until Palestinian children are no longer taught that Jews are evil and Israel must be destroyed, I am dubious that peace can be sustained. Perhaps a model can be found in another post-war setting. I have a friend whose mother grew up in Japan following World War II. She relayed how a primary goal of America's reconstruction of Japan was to change the culture, and eliminate the belief that Emperor Hirohito was a deity. It was this fanaticism that inspired countless Japanese pilots to fly their Kamikazes into American ships. (My grandfather, Irving Blackman, thankfully survived the attack on the USS Luce.) One of the defining moments of the Reconstruction was when General Douglas MacArthur took a photograph next to Emperor Hirohito. This picture proved that the emperor was not a deity. Indeed, Hirohito was dwarfed by the commanding presence of the general. Japanese people who saw this photo realized at once their fanaticism was misplaced.
I'm not sure what the MacArthur equivalent would be for the Palestinian people, but we need to think about it carefully.
Still, I am thankful. Today is still a momentous start for a process.