I hope you’ve had a great week. Earlier this week, we celebrated Simchat Torah, a holiday of endings and beginnings. It is one of our most joyful holidays, filled with singing and dancing. Yet two years ago, on Simchat Torah, that joy was shattered. On October 7, 2023, our global Jewish community experienced a pain so deep it nearly extinguished that joy.

For two years, we have continued to carry that pain — the sorrow of knowing that even as our lives moved forward, Israelis were still being held hostage, their fates unknown. And on Monday, just in time for Simchat Torah, joy returned as we watched the living hostages reunite with their loved ones.

Monday reminded me how deeply we are all connected — one people, carrying the sorrow of October 7th in our own ways. For me, it was a text message from my oldest child, who was touring colleges with my wife.

Around 7 am, I received a picture of the ribbon necklace I had purchased for her at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv back in May. The caption read, “I’m so glad I don’t need this anymore.” For two years, Alex had been carrying that burden too, more than I realized. And now, there is joy again.

Like Simchat Torah itself, Monday represented both an end and a beginning. Now that the hostages are home, it is my sincere hope that we can begin to work toward a lasting peace. This new beginning does not erase the pain of the past two years, and we continue to mourn the loss of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives.

But this week left me not only with joy — it left me with hope. 
Hope that the hostages will find comfort in the arms of their loved ones. 
Hope that leaders around the world will pursue peace with courage and resolve. 
Hope that lasting peace is possible. 
And hope that we, as a Jewish community, can continue to heal.

Hope is part of who we are — as Jews and as Rhode Islanders. I hope you, too, find joy in the return of the hostages, comfort in our community, and renewed faith in peace.

Until next time, I wish you a safe, peaceful, and joyous Shabbat. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Adam Greenman
President & CEO