View in Browser

As Israeli President Isaac Herzog said today: "Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters" at the confirmation that Shiri Bibas, her little boys Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz were killed in captivity in Gaza.

Hamas celebrates death. Jews celebrate life. In this difficult time, we encourage our members to honor the memory of the four hostages returned to Israel today - and all the deceased hostages - by doing a mitzvah such as lighting Shabbat candles, giving tzedakah (charity), doing an act of kindness for someone, or praying with special intensity. When we do a mitzvah with them in mind, we keep their light alive and add to their eternal life.

Our hearts go out to the families in mourning and the families still awaiting word of their loved ones. May all the hostages return soon!

The heartbreaking confirmation that Shiri Bibas and her children were murdered in Gaza is at the center of our thoughts. Shiri was 32, Ariel was 4, and Kfir was 9 months old when they were taken hostage from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz. We mourn the confirmation that Oded Lifshitz, 83, a lifelong peace activist and one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was murdered in captivity as well.

The news from Israel has been both sad and enraging. Hamas continued its brutality against the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz until the very last moment, waging psychological warfare against Israel and the Jewish world.

This morning Hamas terrorists made a horrific public ceremony to mark the release of the bodies of the four slain Israelis. They set up a stage with a backdrop calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" and accusing the Israeli military of killing the Bibas family. The propaganda depicted Netanyahu as a vampire looming over the four dead hostages.

The "pallbearers" who carried the coffins from the stage to waiting vehicles wore the headbands of Hamas, PFLP, Fatah, and Islamic Jihad, in a show of terrorist unity.

When the Israeli Defense Forces and Shin Bet retrieved the bodies, they discovered that the coffins were locked without a key to open them. Shiri's coffin bore the words, "Date of arrest, October 7, 2023." The coffin believed to hold baby Kfir had his picture on it, but bore his brother's name.

When the coffins reached Israel, the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz were treated with great respect. The military members who received the bodies saluted them and conducted a brief religious service. Inside Israel, people lined the streets, silent and holding flags, as the vehicles bearing the coffins went by.

President Isaac Herzog said today, "Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters. On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that terrible day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely. May their memory be a blessing."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night, "We embrace the families, and the heart of the entire nation is torn. My own heart is torn. So is yours. And all of the world’s heart should be torn because this demonstrates who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with—with such monsters."

Further reading

• Tobin: The Hamas Baby Killers and a Broken Global Moral Compass

• Mandel: The Meaning of Kfir Bibas

• Friedman: The Family that Never Came Home

The Times of Israel reminds us of where things stand:

Sixty-six of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF. Six living hostages are expected to be released on Saturday.

In addition to the four bodies returned Thursday, Hamas has so far released 24 living hostages — 14 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — during a ceasefire that began in January. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.

We await the return of six living hostages on Saturday with hope. Let's keep all the hostages – those in captivity and those in freedom, those who are alive and those who are dead – in our prayers.

American-Israeli Keith Siegel, who was released on February 1 from captivity in Gaza, released a video last Friday recounting his experience and thanking President Donald Trump for helping to free him:

"When I was in Gaza, I lived in constant fear, fear for my life and my personal safety," said Siegel. "I was starved and tortured both physically and emotionally. When the war intensified, the terrorists who held me treated me even worse than usual. The terrorists kicked me, spat on me, and held me with no water, no light, and no air to breathe."

…"President Trump, you are the reason I am home alive," he said. "You are the reason I was reunited with my beloved wife, four children and five grandchildren. Thank you for your continued fight against terror and for your bold leadership that has brought me and many others back home to our families, to safety and security."

"I trust your leadership, Mr. President," he added. "The helpless hostages in the dark, cold tunnels of Gaza also trust you. Please bring them home."

See the video here.

Keith Siegel's wife, Aviva Siegel, was also taken hostage on October 7, 2023 and was freed in the November 2023 ceasefire deal. Aviva was one of the hostage family members who met with RJC leaders in December 2024. Thankfully, all the families we met with have seen their loved ones return home alive.

In an op-ed at the Jerusalem Post, RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman and RJC CEO Matt Brooks write:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to visit President Donald Trump at the White House in his second term. Their talks marked the return to the US-Israel relationship of deep respect, friendship, and trust that had been missing in the previous four years.

This strong, vital alliance between the world’s largest democracy and the Middle East’s only democracy has the potential to change the status quo and bring real peace to the region…

The unwavering American support for Israel [in the first Trump administration] strengthened our ally and set a new tone for US Middle East policy. After the Biden administration hiatus, that support and friendship have been renewed, with great results.

…If only the previous US administration had supported Israel since October 7, the war might already be over and the hostages safely home.

Washington Reporter: Heard on the Hill

MISSING IN ACTION: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.) is notably absent from the list of co-sponsors of the Antisemitism Awareness Act; Ossoff, who is a top GOP target in 2026, has lost support from both Democrats and Jewish supporters in Georgia, according to recent reporting in the New York Times. "Defeating Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff is the RJC's top priority in the 2026 election cycle," the Republican Jewish Coalition's Sam Markstein told the Washington Reporter. "It is deeply disturbing that Senator Ossoff has refused to co-sponsor this critical legislation to date. The people of Georgia deserve so much better, and the RJC will hold him accountable."

The Antisemitism Awareness Act is a critical bill to protect Jewish students from antisemitic discrimination. S. 558, which has bipartisan support, would ensure that federal officials investigating discrimination claims are using the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, i.e. recognizing that antisemitism frequently manifests itself in attacks on Israel that delegitimize, demonize, and use blatant double standards against the Jewish state.

Ask your Senators to co-sponsor the Antisemitism Awareness Act today.
You can learn more and email your Senators with one click HERE.

President Donald Trump and his administration are keeping up a tremendous level of activity. In the first month, they've notched up a significant number of wins.

The White House has released a non-comprehensive list of actions taken so far. Click here to see what's been accomplished already to secure our homeland, foster economic growth, lower the cost of living, re-establish American strength, unleash American energy, restore accountability and transparency in government, and more.

Bryen: The solution-seeking business

In the wake of the horrific condition of the last three Israelis released by Hamas from captivity in Gaza, US President Donald Trump has stirred the pot again… The president's position on the ceasefire, the hostages and thoughts about moving civilians for the reconstruction of the Strip threaten long-held and expensive-but-useless platitudes about Palestinians, Arab states, Israel and history… Trump's announcement about Gaza reconstruction forces Arab states to face the fact that they never resettled Palestinians or wanted anyone else to do so either. It's a bitter reminder that they have failed their Arab brothers since before Israel's independence.

Fiji to become seventh nation to open embassy in Jerusalem

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Tuesday hailed the island nation of Fiji's decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

"I commend the Republic of Fiji's government for its historic decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Thank you, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, friend of Israel. Thank you, Fiji! tweeted Sa'ar.

Note: Six countries currently have embassies in Jerusalem: the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay.