It was wonderful to remove the names of the freed hostages from the list that The Chronicle has published on page two for two years.
An emotional burden has been lifted from the Jewish people; there are no more Jews suffering at the hands of Hamas in Gaza.
And yet there are still names on the list in The Chronicle, because as of writing this, Hamas still has the bodies of multiple deceased hostages in Gaza. This is not what was agreed upon, but also not a surprise. Saying Hamas is untrustworthy is the understatement of the century.
The overstatement of the century comes from those hailing “peace in the Middle East” and acting as though all Israel’s troubles are over. Peace is not here, not in the hearts and minds of many. This is the end of a chapter, not the book. The long-term effects of Oct. 7 will be felt for decades, because even though the living hostages are free, a deep and painful scar is still felt among the Jewish people. We knew it on Oct. 7, and we know it now — things will never be quite the same.
But the living hostages are home, and for now, there is much to celebrate. Thank G-d, we have Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Eitan David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or, Matan Zangauker, Segev Kalfon, Bar Abraham Kupershtein, Omri Miran and Eitan Abraham Mor. May G-d grant them peace and speedy recoveries.
What comes next for Jews in both Israel and the Diaspora is hard — if not impossible — to predict. But we remain cautiously hopeful, as we have for millennia, that maybe, someday, we can live in peace.
