New York, NY – Harriet P. Schleifer, Chair, and William Daroff, CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement on the 18-month anniversary of the Hamas pogrom of October 7, 2023.
Today marks eighteen months since the darkest day in Israel’s modern history—October 7, 2023—when Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israeli communities, slaughtering over 1,200 innocent people and abducting more than 240 others into Gaza.
Eighteen months later, the trauma of that day remains seared into the Jewish soul. And yet, the deepest pain is not in the past—it continues in the present, in the tunnels of Gaza, where dozens of Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity, held in cruel and inhumane conditions, in violation of every principle of international law and human decency.
We remember them all. We speak their names. And we declare, again and again: They are not forgotten.
In recent weeks, heartbreaking evidence has emerged of the suffering they continue to endure. Families mark birthdays and anniversaries without answers. Children are growing up without parents. Survivors are haunted by the knowledge that their loved ones may still be alive—or may have perished—beyond reach, beyond rescue.
This is not just Israel’s pain. This is a moral outrage for the entire world.
We call upon the international community, with clarity and resolve, to demand the immediate, unconditional release of every remaining hostage. The world must not become numb to their suffering. Silence is complicity.
We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the families of the hostages and with the State of Israel in its just and urgent efforts to bring them home. We also support Israel in its ongoing efforts to defeat the Hamas Terror Army.
As we approach Pesach, Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron, we draw strength from the resilience of the Jewish people and from our sacred obligation to protect every Jewish life.
The cries of our brothers and sisters still call out to us. And we will answer.
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The Conference of Presidents is the umbrella organization representing the diverse spectrum of American Jewish organizations. It advocates for Jewish interests, combats antisemitism, and strengthens U.S.-Israel relations through coordinated action and unified leadership. The positions expressed by the Conference of Presidents reflect the consensus views of its leadership unless otherwise indicated and do not necessarily represent the views of each of its individual member organizations.
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