Orthodox Union delivers 180,000 letters to White House demanding return of the hostages

The Orthodox Union (OU) delivered 180,000 letters to the White House by hand on Wednesday afternoon to demand the release of the hostages, OU said in a release.

The 180,000 letters signified the 180 days the hostages have remained in captivity. 

The Orthodox Union was joined by Maurice Shnaider, uncle of Shiri Bibas, who has been held in captivity with her husband, Yarden, and two young children, Ariel and Kfir, the release said.

American Jewish community's plea

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, shared an emotional plea for her son’s release via video, and University of Maryland student Keren Binyamin spoke about the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses since Oct. 7.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of members and friends of the American Jewish community stood together, asking President Biden for complete and continued moral and material support for Israel's mission to finish the job of defeating Hamas,” Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union, said.

Nathan Diament, Executive Director of Public Policy at the Orthodox Union, emphasized the urgency of ending the hostages’ suffering, the release said. 

“We are grateful to the 180,000+ individuals who sent letters to President Biden, joining us in our call for the full-throttle support of Israel in its mission to defeat Hamas," Diament said. "Their involvement underscores the Jewish community’s commitment to supporting Israel and our expectation that President Biden stand with Israel in its mission to eradicate Hamas.”