Tenafly Gathers for Shacharis Ahead of Local Hostage’s Release

Moments after word spread that Edan Alexander, who had attended Chabad schools, was going to be freed from Hamas captivity, the Tenafly community gathered to watch the livestream of his release, beginning the early morning with an emotional Shacharis and a tefillin booth where many put on tefillin in Edan’s honor, while continuing to daven for those still in captivity.

Not long after the news broke that Edan Alexander was going to be freed from Hamas captivity, the atmosphere in Tenafly, New Jersey turned electric. Word traveled quickly across the local Jewish community, where Edan grew up and attended Chabad schools, and where for over a year and a half, his absence had been painfully felt.

A large gathering formed at the town square early Monday morning, before the sun had fully risen. Hundreds arrived, residents of Tenafly and nearby Closter, to daven Shacharis with heightened emotion. The minyan was arranged by local shluchim, Rabbi Yitzchok Gershovitz and Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Gluckowsky, in anticipation of Edan’s release.

After davening, the crowd remained to follow live updates from Israel, many watching the scenes unfold with tears in their eyes. A tefillin booth was set up on site, and throughout the morning, dozens of men stepped forward to don tefillin, many for the first time in years, dedicating the mitzvah to the merit of Edan and those still in captivity.

Edan, an American-Israeli who served in the IDF and was taken hostage on October 7, 2023, has reportedly been handed over to the Red Cross in southern Gaza after 584 days in captivity. His release was secured via a quiet agreement between the United States and Hamas, one that did not involve Israel. At the request of U.S. negotiators and the Alexander family, no official ceremony is planned. He is expected to be transferred to IDF custody, then reunited with his family and taken to Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv for evaluation.

Though details of what Hamas may receive in return remain unclear, Israeli officials emphasized that the release came without concessions and under continued military pressure. The Prime Minister’s Office noted that the IDF’s campaign would proceed uninterrupted.

The Alexander family, meanwhile, had flown in from the U.S. as soon as the call came. “We didn’t expect the call to come when it did,” said Edan’s father, Adi. “We knew discussions were happening, but the timing caught us completely by surprise.”

For the Tenafly community, Edan’s release is personal. In recent months, multiple events had been held in his merit, including a challah baking event attended by his mother. Local shluchim stayed closely in touch with the family, keeping his name alive in tefillah and mitzvos.

President Trump is expected to visit Qatar next week, and there have been suggestions that Edan may meet him there. However, Qatar openly shelters Hamas leadership and has been a key funder of anti-Israel agitation, including the organization of anti-Jewish protests across U.S. college campuses. Addressing this, United States officials have said that it will be up to Edan to decide himself, and they are not forcing him to come.

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