Community message
- Published
- Community Message
JOY, TEARS AND BEARING WITNESS
Our community united, embracing in disbelief and hope.
Dear friends,
On Monday evening, our community gathered in an extraordinary moment of hesitant joy and long-held grief. Just days earlier, it was confirmed that Hamas had accepted the Trump peace plan, paving the way for the return of all remaining hostages, 48 souls, 20 alive and 28 who were to be brought home for burial.
The deadline fell only hours before the start of Simchat Torah in Melbourne. After two years of agony, fear and relentless antisemitism here in Victoria, many of us could hardly believe that what we had prayed for was finally unfolding.
We came together because no one wanted to experience this moment alone. We needed to see one another, to hold each other, and to share not only tears and quiet disbelief, but song, laughter and gratitude. We prayed for peace, sang with hope, and allowed ourselves to celebrate with full hearts as Simchat Torah approached.






































In the days since, we have watched reunions that have left no eyes dry. The faces of parents, children and spouses seeing their loved ones alive again will stay with us forever. And we have mourned deeply for those returned for burial, their families now able, at last, to lay them to rest with dignity.
This week has reminded us of the power of community: to carry sorrow, to embrace joy, and to stand together through history’s most painful and miraculous turns.
For those who were not able to be with us, we invite you to watch a short video from the event and share in the moment with our community.