Coming Home, Together

These are emotional days, ones that are hard to put into words. Watching families embrace their loved ones again feels like a hug that belongs to all of us. We stand with them, in our hearts, at the Hostages Square, and in the ongoing struggle to make sure no one is ever left behind.

And now, we continue to stand with them, as they come home.

Alongside the relief and joy, there’s also deep pain. We remember the families of those hostages who were murdered, who are still waiting to bring their loved ones to rest. Their grief is part of our shared story. Their pain is all of ours.

The story of this moment must be told honestly.

This homecoming was made possible thanks to active, engaged citizens who refused to give up. Thanks to the soldiers and reservists, and their families, who have carried the burden day after day. Thanks to the wounded and the fallen. Thanks to the “TikTok generation,” who showed courage, friendship, and a new kind of heroism. And thanks to a changing reality that we must still shape together.

The real heroes aren’t just a single leader or a headline but rather they are the people and communities who carried Israeli society through its hardest times. This is what it looks like when a nation stands together: through social struggle, historic agreements, and a fight for the country’s borders and safety.

Dror Israel educators and their families, together with hundreds of thousands of Israelis, welcoming home the ex-hostages after too much time.

As the IDF’s Chief Education Officer said: “You made the State of Israel a better place.”

The spirit of solidarity, diversity, and friendship strengthened not only the army, but all of Israeli society. On the ground, in the south and in the north, the first real conditions for families to return home are being created. Hope is turning into reality.

In the words of Tal Shoham, a survivor of captivity: “I am a Jew. I am an Israeli. And I am proud of it… You fought for my family and for me.”

That spirit, of resilience, human dignity, and humble pride, continues to guide our work every day.

At Dror Israel we will keep working for a stronger, fairer, and more united society. Recovery will take time. For many, life in the shadow of war is far from over, for reservists and soldiers who carry invisible wounds, for families and communities rebuilding themselves, and for those who still mourn loved ones who will not return.

In the days leading up to the agreement, one of the ways we marked two years since October 7 was by launching a new educational activity kit for teachers and educators across the country. About 10,000 students in hundreds of classrooms took part in lessons that created space for everything we’ve been carrying as individuals and as a society over the past two years. Through stories of bravery and hope, they also faced the pain and loss that are still so present.

“How good it is to have you home — kama tov she’bata habayta. Am Yisrael Chai!”

“It was important for me to talk about what I feel, not just to hear stories,” said an 11th-grade student from Haifa.  “I realized that there’s room both for pain and for hope.”

“Students shared personal stories, remembered relatives who fell, and opened up about things we hadn’t had the chance to talk about yet,” added a 10th-grade educator from Herzliya. “The class is new, and this was the first real chance to connect.”

In recent weeks, we’ve welcomed new educator communities in the Gaza border region and in the Upper Galilee, expanding our reach to areas most deeply affected by the past two years. We’ve also continued meeting with soldiers returning from the front, shared new lesson plans to support teachers guiding students through this challenging time, and offered practical hope, turning values into daily practices that build lasting resilience across Israeli society.

We’re ready to keep building the long-awaited “day after”, together, to strengthen Israel and the extraordinary society that has proven its courage and unity again and again.

Am Yisrael Chai!