‘Together in peace’ Knoxville Jewish Alliance president react to hostage release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Judith Rosenberg, president of the Knoxville Jewish Alliance, said that Jews around the world are “breathing a sigh of relief” about the return of the hostages after two years of war in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, Hamas released the final 20 living hostages after two years of war in the Gaza Strip, as part of a ceasefire deal. Israel also released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
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“This is a very joyous day, and it’s also a very heavy day,” Rosenberg said. She said that Jews in Knoxville and across the world were praying and hoping for a lasting peace for Israel, Gaza and the Middle East as a whole.
Rosenberg said that the Jewish community was prepared to work together on common solutions and be a peaceful partner, that she wants this peace to last for everyone.
“It’s important to remember that this was not a war that Israel asked for,” Rosenberg told 6 News. “This was a war that was a direct result because of the terror attack by a terrorist regime: Hamas.”
She also emphasized the struggles of the local Jewish and Palestinian communities.
“This has been a really terrible couple of years for Jews and Jews locally,” she said. “This has also been a terrible time for the Palestinian community here too, and by no means are we diminishing the pain that they’ve experienced. Our hope and our prayer is that we move forward together in peace.”
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Rosenberg pointed out that the Jewish community is about to celebrate Simchat Torah, when they finish a full reading of the Jewish Holy Book and start over. In the same way, she views the hostage release as “the start of a new chapter.”
She said that the Jewish community had been praying for the hostages and their families and were thrilled that are home.
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