Dear friend,



The mitzvah of pidyon sh'vuyim, or “redeeming Jews who are held captive,” is one of the great fundamentals of our religious tradition. Our Talmud teaches that pidyon sh’vuyim is one of our tradition’s great mitzvot because captivity is deemed worse than starvation or death. Freeing our captives is a sacred obligation.

To that end, Temple Isaiah is engaging our entire community in Bring Them Home, a campaign in which we all encourage our elected officials to insist on releasing the 230+ Israeli hostages held in captivity by Hamas. Specifically, we are initiating our campaign by supporting the release of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a young man abducted by Hamas into Gaza on October 7th. Hersh lost an arm in the terror attack and is in dire need of medical care. To witness firsthand the story from Hersh’s mother, Rachel Goldberg, in her speech to the United Nations, you may find the video here: WATCH HERE

Our hearts break for the many souls held hostage. We can extend our support by inviting every Temple Isaiah member to copy the template letter below this email and send to your elected officials, today and onward:

Find more elected officials’ names and contact information at the following webpage: CLICK HERE

In the interim, if you wish to support Israeli relief efforts through a monetary donation, we have provided suggestions for American- and Israeli-based organizations, though there are many doing important and invaluable work.

L’shalom,

Temple Isaiah Clergy

[DATE]

Dear __________:

I’m reaching out to ask that you use the full powers of your office to insist on the release of the 230+ hostages held in captivity by Hamas in Gaza. These hostages include innocent babies, children, women, and elderly civilians, as well as young men who are critically wounded. Specifically, Hersh Goldberg-Polin is a 23-year-old - who loves people, music, and the outdoors - whose left arm was blown off prior to being kidnapped. He is just one example of a hostage in need of immediate medical attention who must be released now. This is not a matter of strategic policy or politics in the Middle East. This is about returning captives to their families. It is a time for all those with a sense of basic human decency to stand up and be heard. 

Thank you for your support,

Your Name

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