Hostage Release Deal Reached in Israel

Dear friends,

Today’s news of the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Isarel is both a welcome relief, and a sign of much more work to come.

We are especially glad to see four of the hostages from Sha’ar HaNegev, Emily Damari, Keith Siegel, Tzachi Idan and Doron Steinbrecher, are on the list of hostages to be released, and hope they return safely. We continue to pray and to advocate for the release of Ziv and Gali Berman, and Omri Miran, and every single one of the hostages remaining in captivity. San Diegans have met many of their families in Israel and have felt their anguish over these terrible 15 months.

Here is the full statement from our national partners, Jewish Federations of North America:

Jewish Federations welcome news of a deal to release dozens of hostages, create a framework for releasing all the hostages, and allow Israel a path forward to protect the safety and security of its citizens.

Every day for over 15 months, our community has held the hostages in our hearts, wept for their plight, prayed for their safe return, and mourned for those who we lost.

We’ve held close our Israeli brothers and sisters who have suffered, been displaced, fought in reserves, struggled to keep their businesses afloat, and worked to keep their families and communities alive.

There is much work to be done and significant uncertainty ahead, but we are hopeful that the first phase of this agreement will pave the way for the remaining hostages to be reunited with their family, for hostilities to end, and for an era of

security and rebuilding for both Israel and her neighbors.

We must also thank President Biden and President-elect Trump, for their unprecedented coordination to bring both sides together to get a deal done.

We continue to monitor the situation and will provide more updates as they become available.

In solidarity,

Heidi Gantwerk, President & CEO
Jewish Federation of San Diego