The Passover season is a time to reflect on the history of our people-where we came from, how we got here, and what we value. The story of the Exodus from Egypt described in the Haggadah is recounted through generations. It is the story of our people's salvation, from slavery, from the lowest depths of despair to the highest pinnacle: receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and marching to the Holy Land toward freedom and independence.
It's easy to find parallels between the story of the Exodus and the events happening in Israel since October 7. On that day, our nation's worst massacre since the Holocaust, 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered, and 251 hostages became the modern-day version of the Israelites trapped in Egypt millennia ago. Some of the hostages were made to work as actual slaves in the homes of terrorists and their families. Others were tortured and beaten. All were starved. Many were brutally murdered by their captors, including Chicago's Hersh Goldberg-Polin and the Bibas children and their mother.
For our nation, this was the lowest point in our 77-year history.
Through two deals, dozens of hostages were released, some alive and some murdered, with Israel paying the extremely high price of releasing thousands of convicted terrorists. In that, Israel showed the true essence of mutual support, kol Israel arevim zeh la-zeh, leaving no citizen behind, alive or dead. For there is nothing more valuable than the lives of our people.
The returning hostages told us of their captivity and what kept them alive and strong. Some found solace in their faith, holding on to the belief that G-d will protect and see them through. Others found comfort in being with two or three other hostages, relying on each other for solace, medical treatment, and spiritual healing. They told each other stories and memories of home, shared dreams, and held each other's hopes alive when it looked like there was no hope at all.
And some hostages found faith in their nation, which would never abandon them, knowing that millions of Israelis were fighting on their behalf locally and globally, mobilizing leaders worldwide in their support.
Faith comes in many shapes, and the returning hostages recounted the things that helped them believe that they would be released. Much like the Israelites who were told to leave everything behind and exit Egypt, believing in the power of G-d, in the leadership of Moses and in their mutual support and unity as a people, so the hostages held on to their belief that they would return home.
For all hostages and their families and friends, the return to Israel symbolized a rapid change from slavery to redemption, from the depths of anguish to the highest exultation. The Israelites marched for 40 years in the desert, to replace the slaves who left Egypt with a generation born into freedom. Our modern-day slaves, the hostages, experienced that change with shocking speed: waking up in a dark and moldy tunnel in Gaza (historically, once a part of Egypt) one morning, they were whisked to safety in Israel within a short 20-minute helicopter ride-to be reunited with their families.
This Passover, we will once again recount the Exodus from Egypt as the story of a people who found unity in the face of adversity, hope in the midst of cruelty, and faith in times of despair. We will recount the story of our hostages and their return to life for decades to come. We will begin to heal the wounds of those who have returned, the pain of the families of those who will never return, and the scars of an entire nation aching for the Holy Land of peace and tranquility.
Ofer Bavly is a JUF Vice President and the Director General of the JUF Israel Office.
