Statement on the Murder of Israeli Hostages

JTS deeply mourns the tragic news regarding the murder of six more hostages at the hands of Hamas. Our community has felt a special connection to Hersh Goldberg-Polin through his familial relations to members of JTS’s faculty and staff, and throughout the last 331 days since October 7th, we have been passionately praying for the release of all the hostages, hoping for their safe return. That those hopes have now been dashed six more times amplifies our grief and our outrage at the sheer inhumanity that produces such brutality. We pray that the violent ends to these precious lives will not eclipse the blessings that they surely brought to their families and the world. May their memories be a blessing. We continue to pray for the immediate return of the remaining hostages. May they once again know the embrace of their loved ones, and may it occur speedily in our days.