Holding color photos of Israeli hostages believed to be alive, and black and white images of those confirmed dead, members of a local Jewish congregation have prayed for individuals captured by Hamas at each weekly Shabbat service since October 2023.
Rabbi Vered Harris, spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Israel, said the photos of three hostages released on Jan. 19 as part of a recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas have been highlighted in yellow — symbolizing that the three have made it “home.”
“We look at their faces … their ages and where they were taken from,” Harris said. “And, we’ll continue praying for them until they are all released.”
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Cautious optimism in Oklahoma
Fifteen months have gone by since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 and abducting more than 250 people, Israel has said. According to USA Today, about 400 Israeli soldiers have died in the Israel-Hamas war. Medical officials in Gaza have said more than 47,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli attacks.
Harris and several Oklahomans recently shared their thoughts about the much-anticipated ceasefire and their hopes for what it could mean for the future. Some hoped that the ceasefire would be lengthy and that peace would ultimately reign in the Holy Land. Others admitted to feeling wary about how long the ceasefire will hold up and whether it is actually real.
“These three lives have now been spared and they are home and being hugged by their mothers, and that is a miracle because it’s a place to start,” Pamela Richman, a member of Temple B’nai Israel, said about the three hostages recently released.
Tas, a local Muslim who did not want his last name published out of concern for his safety, said he is “kind of holding my breath to see what happens,” citing reports that several Palestinians were injured or killed by Israeli forces after the ceasefire started.
“You know, I’m one of those people that believes that I’ll see it happen when it happens,” he said. “Whenever it comes to the way that the state of Israel has been moving — one thing is being said and then another thing happens, and then another thing is being said, and then something else happens.”
Imad Enchassi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said he is pleased about the ceasefire, but he continues to mourn for family members in Gaza who were killed during the battle between Israel and Hamas. He said thus far, 11 members of his family have been killed in Gaza and 14 are missing.
“I’m ecstatically happy — one for my people, two for the people of Gaza, and three for my family who actually lives in Gaza,” Enchassi said. “As my cousin told me this morning, ‘At least the blood bath has stopped and we have slept for the first time in a long time.’ They are they are looking forward to be reunited with their families.”
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Adam Soltani, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma City chapter, said the Oklahoma Muslim community, particularly the Palestinian community, is happy about the ceasefire — but they are mindful of the toll the war has taken on civilians in Gaza.
“The feeling that is reflected amongst Palestinians is almost a bittersweet celebration, and that would be the feeling, or the emotion that I would want Oklahomans to understand — that this is not a true celebration or accomplishment, but it’s bittersweet in so many ways, because while it brings an end to violence, which is definitely a good thing, it’s only the beginning of not just rebuilding the Gaza Strip and and rebuilding the lives of the Palestinian people, but it’s a massive rebuilding, because the land and the infrastructure, from schools to hospitals to grocery stores, were entirely destroyed,” Soltani said.
Rabbi Abby Jacobson, spiritual leader of Emanuel Synagogue, said many in the local Jewish community are “sitting on pins and needles” because they know some of the hostages are already dead and Hamas won’t let the Israeli government know which of the hostages being held are deceased and which are alive.
“I think most of the Jewish community is cautiously optimistic,” she said.
“Anything that ends the war and brings home the hostages and moves us toward peace is a good thing, and I know the whole community is so grateful to both the Biden administration and the Trump administration that we know worked hard behind the scenes and worked together behind the scenes to make it happen.”
Rachel Johnson, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City, said she was also optimistic.
“There’s been different versions of the ceasefire for the last 15 months, but now it’s very hopeful that it’s actually happening,” she said.
“I remain hopeful that it’s going to continue and there won’t be any further delays because we really need to just see this through as much as we can and need to not let anything else get in the way and make sure the hostages come home.”
What now?
Harris, with Temple B’nai Israel, said she has hopes that the ceasefire will result in each and every Israeli hostage returning home but also a brighter future for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as well.
“I pray that the hold that Hamas has on the innocent civilians in Gaza can be lifted and that there can be a future for the people in Gaza, but that’s up to the politicians,” she said.
“And, what I care about right now, in this moment, is that the ceasefire can lead to the hostages coming home.”
More: Oklahoma City Muslims speak out against treatment of Palestinians in war-torn Gaza
Enchassi said Palestinians must now try to regroup and rebuild.
“I have family in the West Bank, I have family in Lebanon and I have family in Jordan,” he said. “Like any other Palestinian, my family was once internally displaced, so the part of my family in Gaza were internally displaced.”
Enchassi said his cousin in Gaza said said he considered his family “one of the semi lucky ones” because their home was only partially destroyed. This wasn’t the case for many other Palestinians.
“People are coming back to check on their houses, and the houses are completely destroyed, so as far as the future, Gaza has just stopped,” Enchassi said. “It is really unlivable, but the Palestinians, just any other Indigenous people, they will cope, and they will rebuild, and they will move forward.”
Along those lines, Soltani said he has an urgent plea for his fellow Oklahomans.
“Recognize that while the ceasefire brings an end to violence, it is just the start of a massive rebuilding of the Gaza Strip for the Palestinian people, and that each and every one of us, as human beings, should do whatever we can to support that, whether that be through financial means or through our thoughts and prayers that we send to those people who have suffered for more than 15 months in an inhumane manner,” he said.
Tas and other Oklahomans advocating for Palestinians wondered what will happen to them amid the rubble of war-torn Gaza.
“I believe the way that Israel as a nation will go about trying to acquire the remaining occupied territories will evolve, not necessarily just by means of a full-scale war, but I do believe other tactics will be used,” he said.
Yasmin, a representative of a group called OU Students for Justice in Palestine, who did not want her last name published out of concern for her safety, said she and other members of her group would continue to oppose what they see as the United States’ role in the killing of civilians in Gaza as an ally of Israel. She said the organization also will continue to push for U.S. entities currently invested in Israeli bonds and other ventures, including and weaponry used against Palestinians, to divest from those enterprises.