YAD Colorado

Jewish Federations of North America Tonight at sunset begins Yom HaShoah. As we remember the six million Jews that died in the Holocaust, we must also recognize that Jews today are being targeted for who they are and what they believe, and commit to fighting antisemitism and hate.

Jewish Federations of North America In yet another moment of gratitude, Jewish Federations welcome Or Levy, Eli Sharabo, and Ohad Ben Ami home after a horrifying 491 days in Hamas captivity. At the same time, we are appalled and saddened by their medical condition and the serious abuse and malnutrition they have suffered at the hands of their cruel captors.

Or Levy, 34, and his wife, Eynav, had just arrived at the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023. Terrorists killed Eynav and kidnapped Or. Upon his release, Or is expected to be reunited with his son, Almog, age 3.

Eli Sharabi, 52, was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Beeri on October 7, 2023. Eli’s wife and daughters were murdered, and his brother Yossi was abducted and killed.

Ohad Ben Ami, 56, spent two birthdays in Hamas captivity. A dual Israel-German citizen, he was shot in the shoulder and abducted from Beeri. His wife, Raz Ben Ami, was also kidnapped, and released in November 2023. She then became a fierce advocate for the release of the remaining hostages.

Each hostage release from Gaza brings a great sense of comfort and anticipation of the release of the remaining 76 hostages. We continue to pray that will happen in the coming weeks so that our community can begin the healing process.

EJewish Philanthropy "Across the Jewish world, our community has united in record numbers. According to a recent study conducted by Jewish Federations of North America, some 43% of Jews have sought to or have engaged more with Jewish life since October 2023.

At Hillel Ontario, we see this surge firsthand. As the largest Hillel in the world, we’ve experienced a 40% year-over-year growth in student engagement and, already this school year, we’re poised to increase that growth further."

Sustaining unprecedented growth in Jewish engagement As a new year begins, Jewish nonprofit leaders face a question that is as fundamental as it is ironic: How do we sustain the unprecedented growth in Jewish engagement that followed Oct. 7?  It’s a fundamental question because fueling growth...

Jewish Federations of North America With a sense of deep relief, Jewish Federations welcome home Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas after a horrifying 484 days in Hamas captivity.

Keith Siegel is a native of North Carolina who moved to Israel 40 years ago, and is the first American citizen to be released as part of the current ceasefire agreement. He and wife Aviva were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023. Aviva was freed during a previous deal in November 2023.
Ofer Calderon is a French-Israeli citizen who was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his children, Erez and Sahar. The two children were released under the terms of the previous ceasefire arrangement.

Yarden Bibas, his wife Shiri, and their children, Ariel and Kfir, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. At the time, Kfir was just 9 months old and Ariel was 4 years old. Yarden was wounded during his kidnapping, and was seen being abducted to Gaza separately from his family. A video of Shiri clinging to her children as they were kidnapped has become an enduring image of the Hamas attacks on Israel. It is unknown whether Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel are still alive, and our community prays for their safe return home.

With every individual released from Gaza and reunited with their loved ones, we are overwhelmed with emotion and hope. Yet our community cannot fully begin to heal from the horrors of October 7 until every last one of the remaining 79 hostages is released. We pray that in the coming weeks, they all will be.