BRIEFING ROOM
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PRESSING STATEMENTS
JAC Statement on the Hostage Return
We recoiled in fear. We cried in pain. We mourned. We felt helpless. We fought. We used our voices when we couldn’t hear theirs. We waited and waited. And now we finally feel some joy.
The hostages are finally free, reunited with their families and friends in a world that has changed dramatically for the Jewish community since that fateful day more than two years ago. But one thing has stayed constant — our unwavering hope that this day would come.
These brave men and women embody the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people. Their courage and endurance serve as a shining beacon of hope, symbolizing that even in the face of unimaginable darkness, light and good will always shine through even if it takes days, months, and years.
We pray for their strength in the days ahead as they continue their long journey of healing. We will always stand with them. They will never be forgotten, nor will any of the other victims of this horrific massacre and war. May their memories be for a blessing.
There are still bodies of hostages that have yet to be returned. For those families, their anguish continues. We will not rest until “bring them home” becomes “we brought them all home.”
Am Yisrael Chai.
WHAT'S ON OUR MIND
Finding Thanks
November 21, 2025
Thanksgiving always seems to come early, no matter what the calendar or the weather shows. There’s always that mad rush of grocery shopping and preparations, airport pickups, busy kitchens, and then, finally, that peaceful moment when everyone is sitting together.
In the middle of all that chaos, I hope you’re able to find small pockets of calm and gratitude. I know I’ll be trying to do the same. Some years it takes a little more effort to find those moments, to dig deeper for the light of gratitude. But it is always there, even in these turbulent and often difficult times.
I am grateful to lead JAC with an extraordinary staff: Allison Shaewitz, Danielle Schoenberg, and Denise Young; a devoted board under the leadership of Susan Berk and Amy Small; and, most of all, committed members like you. Every day we ask something of you — donate, Zoom, attend a program, donate to a candidate.
Thank you for reading the emails, taking the calls, and showing up. Thank you for walking this path with us, for supporting our mission, and for staying engaged when so many others are turning away. JAC members show up with loud, passionate voices, demonstrating time and again the strength of JAC. We are deeply grateful for that.
This week, JAC visited the Nova exhibit in Chicago, and I can still feel the weight of the emotions that stay with me, especially the fear from each scene and the unimaginable horror faced by those young people simply trying to celebrate life.
October 7th could have shattered Israel. It could have broken the Jewish spirit and destroyed our sense of community. But it didn’t. We are still here, resilient, strong, and determined that no enemy, abroad or at home, will ever extinguish who we are. For that strength, we all must be grateful.
Our democracy has been weakened and attacked. But we are finding the strength to fight back to protect our rights, and that determination is sweeping the nation. We all should feel grateful for that as well.
For the first time in a long while, I feel a spark of optimism. Recent wins in Virginia and New Jersey, court decisions striking down unfair maps, and the growing realization that the GOP is out of step with the American public all give us hope. That hope should fill us with gratitude and energy.
This Thanksgiving, find your own personal gratitude and let it surround you. Share your thanks with your family and friends. Keep the spirit going.
Thank you for your continued support of JAC.
Happy Thanksgiving from our JAC family to yours.
Hollis Wein, Executive Director
THE JAC EZ READ: OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
-Nelson Mandela