The Living Hostages are Home at Last: 18 Reflections from Israel and Beyond

October 13, 2025 is a day that won’t soon be forgotten. The remaining living hostages came home after 738 days-a true miracle culminating in a collective exhale that was palpable across continents.

The number’s significance is powerful…day 738. 7+3+8…18. Chai. Life. On this day, life was restored-for the hostages themselves, for their families, and for all of us who have been fighting for their return every day for the last two years.

Of course, the work is not done. The bodies of murdered hostages are still being held in Gaza-their families deserve the closure of a proper burial for their loved ones. Anti-Jewish hatred is still pervasive, a fact that won’t vanish overnight just because our people came home. And the list goes on. But still, dare I say it…it was a good day. The first one in a long time that we smiled. Cried tears of joy. Felt the release of the 2-year collective mission to bring them home. Revelled in the sight of the reunions we ached to see for 738 days.

I wanted to capture the authentic and complex emotions reverberating across the globe on this miraculous day. Keeping in the spirit of Chai, I asked 18 people a simple question:

What are you feeling in this moment?

Read their answers here.