On Sunday, over 500 members of our community gathered in Hendon Park to mourn Hersh, Eden, Ori, Carmel, Alexander and Almog – six souls brutally murdered after enduring over 330 days in captivity.
This vigil, filled with both grief and unity, demonstrated the strength of our community. We needed each other to not feel alone in our sorrow. This is a shared tragedy because I believe "Kol Yisrael achim" – we are all brothers. We needed a moment to reflect together and to see that it’s okay to show our pain in public.
Lighting candles in their memory is an act rooted in the Jewish belief that the light will help elevate the deceased souls on their way to heaven. At the vigil, it was a way to show their families that their loved ones have been in our thoughts and prayers for 11 months now, and it was a powerful statement to the families of the remaining 101 hostages: we are not abandoning your loved ones in the hands of terrorists. We will keep speaking up for them, raising their voices until they are free to speak for themselves.
Our community is heartbroken. The cruel execution of six hostages and the atrocities of October 7 have left a wound that can’t start healing until all the remaining living hostages are home with their loved ones and the deceased hostages are brought to a respectful burial so their families can mourn.
We need hope; we need to strengthen our faith. Each action we take, no matter how small, keeps the fight of the hostages present and is critical for public awareness. Their lives matter, and our fight for their return continues.
So far, eight hostages have been rescued alive by the IDF, while over 100 have been released through negotiations. As a small minority, we need to ensure that our voice is loud and clear: Hamas needs to release them all, and we need to bring them home now.
We must increase pressure on decision-makers, our MPs, the government, the Red Cross and anyone else who can influence the negotiations needed to secure their release.
Every yellow ribbon tied, every yellow pin worn, every hostage poster hung, every demonstration or vigil attended, every social media post shared makes a difference. It shows the families of the hostages that their loved ones are not forgotten and reminds our decision-makers here that they must be committed to releasing them.
No one imagined 11 months ago that this horror would continue for so long. The world seems upside down, with good being perceived as evil and evil as good. How is it that on the day when six of our people were discovered after being tortured and executed, we are the ones perceived as the aggressors? How can it be that when we facilitate a humanitarian pause in fighting to deliver polio vaccines, we are labelled inhumane?
Living in the UK presents its own challenges for our community. The recent rise of antisemitism and the sanctions imposed by the new government on Israel add to our difficulties. I always bear in mind that criticism against Israel and its policies is often misused to fuel anti-Israel sentiment.
But the issue of the hostages isn’t political – it’s humanitarian, and it’s urgent. Every further minute that they are in captivity they are in a life and death situation.
שכל המאבד נפש אחת מישראל, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא. וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא.
"Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:8 (37a))
Each soul murdered is equivalent to an entire world lost, and every hostage saved is equivalent to saving a whole universe.
May their memory be for a blessing; may their families know that we grieve with them, and may we continue to fight for the return of all the hostages.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication. Together, we can make a difference.
Nivi Feldman is the co-lead of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK
