Prayer of Thanksgiving & Hope on the Occasion of the Release of the Remaining Living Hostages Held in Gaza, by Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations, 2025)

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Ephraim Mirvis and Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations

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17 October 2025 under the Public Domain (Compendium II: Copyright Office Practices, § 206.01. Edicts of government)

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2023-2025 Israel–Hamas war, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., British Jewry, English vernacular prayer, thanksgiving

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	Sovereign of the Universe, Source of life and compassion, We come before You today with hearts full of thanksgiving and humility.
	We thank You for the mercy You have shown for the remaining living hostages who have been returned to the embrace of their families, for lives restored and for tears of anguish turned to tears of joy. Grant them, together with all the previously released hostages, healing of body and of spirit and the strength to rebuild their lives in safety and peace.
	We remember, too, those whose bodies have not yet been returned. May they soon be brought home to a dignified burial and may their loved ones be comforted by faith, by hope, and the knowledge that our constant prayers are with them.
	King to Whom peace belongs and Healer of the broken-hearted, bring comfort to the bereaved and healing to the wounded. May this be the dawn of a new era of reconciliation, harmony and peace for all. May a spirit of justice and humanity take root among all peoples, so that the sounds of fear may give way to the songs of joy.
עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כׇּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן	May He who makes peace in His high places, make peace for us and for all of Israel, and let us say, Amen.

“The Chief Rabbi’s Prayer of Thanksgiving & Hope on the Occasion of the Release of the Remaining Living Hostages Held in Gaza” by the Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth was first shared via social media on erev Shabbat Bereshit (17 October 2025) by Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

Source(s)

Prayer of Thanksgiving on the Release of the Remaining Living Hostages (Office of the Chief Rabbi, 2025)

Ephraim Mirvis

Ephraim Mirvis (born 1956) is an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. Traditionally the post has entailed that he also serves as the head of all British Jews as the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland between 1985 and 1992. (via his Wikipedia article)

Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations

The Office of the Chief Rabbi is the institutional identity for the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth [UK]. Unlike in other European countries, individuals serving as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations are not formally designated by an authoritative state or civic body. Rather, the "office" is occupied by the senior rabbi of the United Synagogue, the umbrella institution for its affiliated Orthodox and Ashkenazi synagogues in the United Kingdom. The position of Chief Rabbi in the UK grew out of an 18th century desire among British Jewry for a respected representative figure comparable to the Archbishop of Canterbury for Anglican Christians. Rabbi Aaron Hart (1670–1756), rabbi of the Great Synagogue in London since 1704, was thus regarded by the 1750s as the first of the British chief rabbis. Over the next century and as British Jewry continued to grow, by the tenure of Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler (from 1845-1890) the communal leadership and halakhic authority of the position had become firmly established. When in 1870, the Great Synagogue joined with four other synagogues, and was formally recognized as the United Synagogue by an Act of Parliament, the Chief Rabbi was legally established as its head. The current chief rabbi of the UHC and senior rabbi of the United Synagogue is Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis. (The Office of the Chief Rabbi should not be mistaken for the London Beit Din, the Court of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations.)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)