Top of Mind Thursday – April 10, 2025: Let My People Go

Passover, one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar, starts this weekend.

This holiday commemorates the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. It’s a time when we traditionally celebrate our freedom.

But this year feels different.

This is the second Passover when we still have hostages held in captivity in Gaza, about half of whom are believed to still be alive. But this year, after hearing the stories of those who have been released, we know much more about the horrendous conditions in which these men are being held.

We now know they are being tortured and brutalized, sexually assaulted, starved, and abused—both mentally and physically. We now know that this abuse is often coming from civilians in Gaza who are holding hostages—not just from Hamas operatives. We now know that the only starvation happening in Gaza now is among Jewish hostages.

The war in Gaza started up again recently after hostage release negotiations failed. No one is happy to see this happen. Innocent people will die, and the angst and suffering will continue. Yet, the answer—just like thousands of year go—is simple: Let my people go.

The Bible says Moses brought this message to Pharaoh multiple times, but Pharaoh was stubborn. It took 10 plagues of increasingly devastating intensity for him to agree to let his Jewish slaves go free. Even then, he changed his mind and followed them to the Red Sea, which miraculously parted to let the Jewish people escape, with the Egyptians unable to follow.

For 18 months, the cry among Israelis, Jews and supporters of decency and morality around the world has been, “Bring them home now.” But that puts the onus on the rescuers, not the captors. The message to the world should be clear.

Let our people go. Now.

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