Hashanah Rabbah of Sukkot With 20 Living Hostages Returned

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

“Veshavu Banim Legvulam” - “And the sons returned to their borders” -- Jeremiah 31:16       Nimrod Cohen on bottom left                                    

Nimrod Cohen.Hostages and Missing Families ForumNimrod Cohen, 21, an IDF soldier, was abducted while defending kibbutz Nirim. The three other soldiers in his tank crew were killed. Cohen is known to love solving Rubik’s cubes, and after his abduction his burned Rubik’s cube was found in the tank.  During the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, five civilians and ten Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were killed in or near Kibbutz Nirim. Five civilians were also abducted and taken to Gaza. 

As a 72-hour countdown began Friday for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, Yehuda Cohen is preparing for a reunion with his 21-year-old son, Nimrod.

Cohen's son, an Israeli soldier, was captured by Hamas and taken hostage near the Gaza border on Oct. 7, 2023, when he was just 19 years old. Now, with the formal approval of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal, Cohen is hopeful he'll see his son again soon.

"We started the count, the 72 hours, we are on the third hour and we are waiting, probably will take another two days but we're waiting for getting the exact time and where to come and meet Nimrod finally," Cohen said Friday on "CBS Mornings."

The Israeli military said a ceasefire went into effect at noon local time as part of President Trump's peace plan to end the war in Gaza. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday that Israeli troops had finished their initial withdrawal from parts of Gaza under the first phase of the plan, starting the countdown for Hamas to release all remaining Israeli hostages.

An Israeli official told CBS News that Hamas would release all of the remaining hostages by noon local time Monday. Israeli officials say 48 hostages are still in Gaza, including 20 who are believed to be alive.

I'm sure you've all been glued to your news feeds over the past couple of days following the events that seem nothing short of miraculous. All of the 20 living hostages have been returned home on this final day of Sukkot, which is known

 as Hashanah Rabbah and is considered to be the final day of

 judgement. And what a favorable judgement it has been. 

President Trump traveled to Israel, addressed the Knesset today, and headed off to Egypt for a monumental summit of the leaders of Arab, Muslim and European countries to officially declare an end to the Gaza war and determine a plan to move forward, based on Trump's agreed upon peace plan. Prime Minister Netanyahu received a late invite to the summit from Egyptian President el-Sissi, but will not attend due to the Shmini-Atzeret and Simchat Torah holiday that begins tonight.

. Israel is expecting a visit from the president of Indonesia later

 this week.  Indonesia has approximately 242 million Muslims,

 which represents about 87% of the country's population. This

 makes Indonesia the country with the largest Muslim

 population in the world. 

 Perhaps this truly is the beginning of peace in the Middle East?

We'll be celebrating a joyous Simchat Torah, 2 years after that 2023 Simchat Torah massacre that changed our lives, and possibly, the world, forever. We have much to be thankful for, while simultaneously mourning those that were murdered and the brave soldiers that gave their lives to help make this day possible. 

Wishing you all a very happy Chag (holiday), and may we merit more blessings and good tidings and, of course, peace.

Resource:

Israel AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Indonesia