Through 7 October vigils, our community refused to allow the hostages to be forgotten

These vigils mattered not only because they endured, but because they became shared spaces where people gathered, supported one another, and lived out their values

Last Friday, members of the JLC professional team, together with our Chair and Vice-Chair, attended the final hostage vigil in Borehamwood. For over two years these vigils have taken place every Friday morning to demand the release of every hostage taken captive by Hamas on 7 October. Finally, following the return of Ran Gvili, they are all home.

Ran’s decision to put on his uniform and to run towards danger to defend Kibbutz Alumim on 7 October saved countless lives. His selflessness, courage and heroism will not be forgotten. May his memory be a blessing.

The massacre of over 1,200 innocent people on 7 October changed us all. But the abduction of 251 hostages – civilians, soldiers, and children as young as nine months – struck at the very heart of our community. Almost immediately communities responded. Synagogues adopted hostages, empty places were set at Shabbat tables, and vigils were organised in Borehamwood, Brighton and across the country to ensure that those taken captive would not be forgotten.

Week after week, in all weather, people from Borehamwood and beyond showed up. They made their voices heard. They refused to let the hostages become headlines that faded with time. And they continued until the very last hostage was home.

These vigils mattered not only because they endured, but because they became shared spaces where people gathered, supported one another, and lived out their values. Genuine bonds formed between vigil participants and hostage families. For those families living with the agony of not knowing whether their loved ones were alive, that human connection mattered. It said: you are not alone, and you are not forgotten.

The return of Ran Gvili’s body for a dignified burial brought both relief and sorrow. Relief that after 843 days, no more families remain waiting in uncertainty for the return of their loved ones, and sorrow that Ran, along with so many other hostages, did not return from captivity alive. But unlike earlier hostage releases, there was no apprehensive anticipation about what might come next. This dreadful chapter was finally over.

For the first time since 2014, there are no Israelis held hostage in Gaza. Ensuring that this remains the case depends on the full implementation of the ceasefire plan which saw all the hostages released, including the disarmament of Hamas and their removal from Gaza. No family should ever have to endure such anguish again. We owe it to those who lived through this nightmare to turn this moment into one that helps secure lasting peace and security in the region.

The Borehamwood vigil, and others like it, show what determined, consistent, values-driven action can achieve. By standing week after week for what is right, they modelled a form of communal leadership that must never be forgotten, never overlooked, and should continue to guide us for generations to come.

Debbie Fox is Interim CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council