As part of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, twenty Israeli hostages were released on Monday. Local Jewish leaders say they’ve prayed for this day.
SCRANTON, Pa. — It’s been roughly two years since Israeli hostages were taken after Hamas attacked Israel. Since then, some folks in Northeastern Pennsylvania have been praying for this day to come.
“It’s a relief, it’s a joy to know they’re reunited with their families, and it’s something we’ve been waiting for for a very long time,” said Daniel Chejfec, the executive director Jewish Federation of NEPA.
As a part of an ongoing peace deal brokered by the United States, 1900 Palestinians were released by the Israeli government in exchange for 20 Israeli hostages on Monday. At the Scranton Jewish Community Center, the hostage exchange is what everyone’s been talking about.
“Speaking to a lot of people in our Jewish community, it was sort of the talk of the town, people emailing about it, bringing it up in conversation,” said Dan Cardonick, the CEO of the Scranton JCC.
A lot of the conversations are saying a similar thing.
“Today’s a day of hope, it’s a day of hope, it’s a day of healing, it’s the beginning of the healing for the hostages, for their families, for the state of Israel, for the worldwide Jewish community,” said Cardonick.
Some hope this peace agreement is lasting.
“We’ve been to this spot before. There were a number of hostages released in 2023, and we saw that that never really amounted to anything, but we’re hopeful. It’s a day of hope, really,” said David Schwager, the former president of the Friedman JCC.
A day of hope that comes right before a Jewish holiday.
“After Wednesday, we begin reading the bible at worship services anew, so it is a new beginning,” said Schwager.
“Our community, I think, looks forward to the opportunity to not just celebrate our Judaism and the Torah but to celebrate the fact that the hostages were released,” said Cardonick.