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Jews let go of hostage rituals with gratitude and grief

JL;DR SUMMARY Jewish communities worldwide are grappling with the transition from rituals developed during the hostage crisis following the October 7, 2023 attacks. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HamasJewish CommunitiesHostagesSimchat TorahPeaceSolidarityPrayersRitualsMemorials

Places mentioned

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Tova Gohar, at center, joins the crowds of people celebrating news of a ceasefire deal at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Oct. 9, 2025."
South Orange, New Jersey, United States
"Like most synagogues, Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey added new rituals after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks that killed 1,200 in Israel, saw another 251 taken hostage and launched a grinding war between Israel and Hamas."
Gaza, Palestinian Territories
"Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh would eventually be listed among the dead in Gaza, popularized the wearing of a piece of masking tape on which she wrote the number of days since the hostages were taken."
San Diego, California, United States
"Rabbi Yael Ridberg, the recently retired spiritual leader of Congregation Dor Hadash in San Diego, said she would remove the ribbon and dog tag she wears when the bodies of the deceased hostages are returned."
Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
"Ronit Wolff Hanan, the former music director at Congregation Beth Sholom in Teaneck, New Jersey, said she is not sure what to do with the ribbon pin and dog tags shes worn for most of the past two years."
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
"Adat Shalom, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Bethesda, Maryland, will use Simchat Torah to celebrate the hostages return by ending another common practice since Oct. 7: a chair left empty on the synagogues bima, featuring the image of a missing hostage."
Annapolis, Maryland, United States
"On Sunday, Hanna Yerushalmi, a rabbi based in Annapolis, Maryland, shared a poem on Instagram, called Yellow Chairs that imagined a near future in which hope will transform the fraught symbols of Oct. 7 grief and remembrance."
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
"Rabbi Felipe Goodman of Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas, Nevada also plans to incorporate a ritual of release and transformation during Simchat Torah celebrations on Tuesday night."

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Retrieved 2025-10-15 05:31:08 UTC
Curated 2025-10-15 08:30:38 UTC