Members of the Northwestern Hillel community gathered on Foster-Walker Complex Lawn Monday afternoon to celebrate the return of Israeli hostages from Hamas.
The return comes after Israel and Hamas agreed to the “first phase” of President Donald Trump’s proposal to pause the fighting of the Israel-Hamas war last week.
Hamas released the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners. Meanwhile, the Israeli military plans on withdrawing from the majority of Gaza, marking new steps toward a ceasefire after two years of war, which erupted after the events of Oct. 7, 2023.
The gathering featured song and prayer, complete with clapping and linked arms in observance of the recent release.
“Today is a very special day for the Jewish community, for the State of Israel and for the world,” said Claire Conner, a Medill junior and the NU Hillel student president. “It marks the ceasefire agreement that has freed the remaining living hostages from Israel.”
Despite what Conner described as “powerful” and “meaningful” prayers and gatherings over the past two years, she said it felt as though something was missing without peace. Now, with an end to the conflict in sight, she said this moment is one of much significance to the Jewish community.
Bienen senior and student vice president of NU Hillel Jeremy Berkun shared Conner’s sentiments and reflected on the importance of remaining united as a community.
“I think there’s a beauty in being able to connect with a shared direction and a shared goal,” Berkun said. “In our eyes, our shared goal is peace and prosperity for everyone in the Middle East, and today is the beginning of maybe a direction towards that.”
For Berkun, the Jewish community’s next steps include hope, prayer and resilience at NU and beyond.
Chabad Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, who helped lead the gathering, described the event as “powerful” and “miraculous.”
“The Jewish people throughout the world need peace,” Klein said. “Being able to step back and say, ‘We can care about each other, we can be friends with each other,’ is the biggest message right now, and that is the true miracle.”
The ability to appreciate one another as human beings, regardless of affiliation or location, remains essential, said Klein.
As the event came to a close and some attendees left the field, others stuck around to continue the celebration with friends and conversation.
“We as a people are incomplete as long as there are Jews in captivity,” Conner said. “So today, today is an amazing day.”
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