FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2025
Below please find a statement from Joy Sisisky, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of the Bay Area, in response to the release of the bodies of four hostages from Gaza today:
“After 509 agonizing days, the bodies of hostages Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour, and Taschi Idan have finally returned to Israel from the cruelty of Hamas captivity. We are devastated by their murders — losses that are compounded by our already heavy grief. May their families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may their memories be for a blessing.
“The Federation hopes that all the remaining hostages will be released soon and will continue its advocacy for the hostages until every last one of them is home.”
ABOUT JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION AND ENDOWMENT FUND
For over a century, the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund has harnessed innovation, collaboration, and investment to shape diverse and dynamic Bay Area Jewish communities where people find a meaningful connection to Judaism and one another; and where we work together to better lives and communities locally, in Israel, and around the world.
Learn more at jewishfed.org.
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