NYC communities celebrate freed hostages, hope for lasting peace
UPPER WEST SIDE (WABC) -- At the Marlene Meyerson JCC on the Upper West Side, many gathered to celebrate joy and relief now that the last of the living hostages have been freed by Hamas.
To mark the moment, an event was held to hear from representatives of the hostages and their families.
"We were overwhelmed with people who said, 'Where can we gather, where can we be together?' So today is really just about giving the Hostage Family Forum a community to come together to mark this incredibly historic day," Hindy Poupko with UJA-NY said.
The UJA-Federation, JCRC-NY, and the Hostage and Missing Families Forum host similar events around the country.
"It's not very often that a cause you hold so dear, a cause that you fight for, actually happens. So we want to mark this day, mark all of the people, the thousands and millions throughout the world who have shown up, raised their voices, and we want to give them this opportunity to be happy for a moment," Dana Cwaigrach with the Hostage Forum said.
Meanwhile, in Bay Ridge, where afternoon prayers are being said at a local mosque, the TV at the bakery across the street showed images of the peace deal signing.
"Something really good to stop the war. I mean, all these two years, I'm talking about both sides. This is really miserable, you know what I mean?" Taiseer Hamound of Nabul Sweets said.
Hamound has been selling more sweets than usual at his bakery named Nablus, in the West Bank city. He believes this peace can last.
"We lived all together for many thousands of years. For hundreds of years. I mean, Jewish, Muslim, Christians. I live in Jerusalem and we have Christians living there, Jews living there, Muslims living there together," Hamound said.
"I'm very, very hopeful and enough for the people to years suffering from all this, you know, deaths and destroying of the houses," Yasser El Shabassy, a Brooklyn resident, said.
Shabassy, who was grocery shopping, took a moment to note his relief and his hope that Arab countries, including his native Egypt, can help those living in Gaza.
"They have to help now, you know. But Egypt to do a lot of good things for them," he said.
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