Dear Members of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs,
Our tradition calls upon us to not only study Torah but to live it—to be a light unto the nations and to pursue justice in all that we do. As members of FJMC, we recognize that silence in the face of injustice is not an option. Our Jewish values demand that we speak out, that we bear witness, and that we stand alongside those in need.
Whether responding to historic moments, major world events, or the struggles of the marginalized, we affirm our commitment to tzedek (justice), rachamim (compassion), and achrayut (responsibility). We do this for the sake of our shared humanity, upholding our sacred obligation to repair the world—tikkun olam.
FJMC will continue to issue statements and take action when our values call us to do so. We invite you to join us in these efforts, ensuring that our voices, our hands, and our hearts remain engaged in building a just and righteous world.
B’Shalom,
Alan Budman
International President
The Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs
A Family in Mourning: A Reflection on the Return of Israeli Hostages
With broken hearts, we grieve the return of Shiri Bibas, her sons, Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz—not in life, but in death. Their captivity was an open wound on our collective soul, and now, their loss deepens our sorrow beyond words.
There is something especially unbearable about the murder of children. Ariel was four. Kfir was still an infant when he was taken from his mother’s arms. The image of them in captivity haunted us for over 500 days; the reality of their fate is even more horrifying. Shiri, their mother, was just 32—young, full of love, and forced to endure the unimaginable. And Oded, at 83, had already spent a lifetime building and caring for his community, only to be stolen from it in his final years.
As men, fathers, sons, and brothers, we are charged with the sacred duty of protecting those most vulnerable among us. And today, we are forced to face the painful truth—we could not protect, nor bring them home safely. We ask your forgiveness for that failure. It is a grief that sits heavy on our hearts. But this grief must not make us hard. It must not close us off from love, from hope, or from the vision of a world redeemed.
Hamas has once again revealed its true nature—not as a force of resistance, not as a voice for any people’s future, but as a machine of destruction, cruelty, and terror. To murder a mother, her children, and an elder, and to wield their deaths as a tool to taunt us and their surviving father, is inhuman. To steal an elder from his home, to leave his wife Yocheved alone in grief, is a crime against the very fabric of humanity. There is no justification for such brutality. We hold Hamas accountable with unwavering focus.
And our grief does not end here. We also mourn the loss of Shiri’s parents, Margit Shnaider Silberman and Yosef Jose Luis Silberman, whose lives were taken in the attack on October 7th. An entire family, wiped from this world. A void left in our hearts.
Yet even in our mourning, we must remind ourselves: our strength is not in vengeance but in love. Our mission is not just to fight against those who bring darkness, but to build a world where no child—Israeli, Palestinian, or any other—will ever be stolen from their family, and their future, again. We must hold onto that vision, even when it feels impossibly distant.
Tonight, we hold in our prayers those left behind—Yocheved Lifshitz, who now walks alone after a lifetime with Oded; and Yarden Bibas, who has returned from captivity only to grieve the loss of his entire family. We cannot take away their pain, but we can bear witness to it. We can honor their loved ones by living in a way that keeps the light of humanity burning, even in the darkest times.
May the memories of Shiri, Ariel, Kfir, Oded, Margit, and Yossi be a blessing. And may we find the strength to build a future where such losses are no longer known.
Shalom u’vracha,
Alan Budman, International President
Rabbi Noam Raucher, Executive Director
The Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs
The post Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs Statement: A Family in Mourning: A Reflection on the Return of Israeli Hostages first appeared on Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs.
