This Sukkot, remember those in captivity, learn their stories and do not let them be forgotten.
This Sukkot will mark more than a year since the horrific mass terror attack of October 7th, in which Hamas and associated terrorist groups murdered more than 1,200 people in Southern Israel, injuring thousands more and taking 250 hostages. For Israelis – and for Jewish communities around the world – the pain of that day is still fresh. 101 of the hostages remain captive in Gaza.
This Sukkot, the Board of Deputies encourages the Jewish community to join our ‘Save a Seat at the Sukkah’ initiative – a similar one to that which we ran around Pesach. We urge individuals, families, communities, schools and JSOC’S to set an extra place at the sukkah for one of the 101 men, women, young adults and children still held captive by Hamas.
On our website, there is an updated file of the posters of the hostages, alongside a story of each hostage. We urge you to share their light and share their stories. These are not just posters; they are whole worlds, testimony to those cruelly taken from their families in the most brutal way. We encourage you to share pictures of that seat with a hostage poster on social media, sharing the story of that hostage and amplifying their plight.
Share the Campaign on Social Media
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#SaveASeatInTheSukkah
#SukkotUshpizin
#BringThemHome
At Sukkot, we traditionally welcome the Ushpizin – holy visitors – at our festive meals. This year, we are missing and remembering crucial guests, the hostages who are not free to celebrate with their loved ones. They are 101 men, women and children who are being cruelly held by Hamas in Gaza. We pray for their immediate return, and we encourage everyone to join in the ‘Save a Seat at the Sukkah’ campaign. Let’s all do everything we can to bring them home now!
Phil Rosenberg, President, Board of Deputies of British Jews