FUTURE OF JEWISH
These young Jews leave everything behind to defend Israel.
Joshua Hoffman
May 14, 2025

When Edan Alexander was released this week after more than 580 days in Hamas captivity, the news resonated far beyond Israel’s borders. Alexander, born in Israel and raised in New Jersey, had voluntarily returned to his birth country to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a “lone soldier” (chayal boded in Hebrew) — a term reserved for those serving in the army without the support of immediate family in the country. His story is heartbreaking and heroic: Kidnapped on October 7th from an outpost in Kissufim, Edan had chosen to forgo his weekend leave in order to stay on base and serve. He wasn’t alone in that kind of sacrifice. Alexander is part of a growing and remarkable phenomenon in Israeli society — one that has only intensified in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre: young men and women, many from the Jewish Diaspora, leaving behind lives of comfort and security to join the IDF, not for personal gain, but out of principle, identity, and purpose. READ MORE

AXIOS Hamas approached pro-Trump activist for secret talks that freed Edan Alexander The backchannel talks that led to the release of Edan Alexander began with a message from a Hamas official to Bishara Bahbah, the former leader of “Arab Americans for Trump,” two Israeli officials, one Palestinian official and one U.S. official tell Axios. Hamas was seeking a way to convince President Trump to put more pressure on Israel, and Trump’s team was intent on freeing the last living American held in Gaza. Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman who helped Trump make inroads with Arab voters in 2024, became the unlikely intermediary.

NEW YORK POST Freed hostage Edan Alexander posts sweet Instagram message as he awaits return to New Jersey: ‘Home Sweet Home’ Newly freed Israeli-American Edan Alexander hopes to return to New Jersey soon with his family — as the 21-year-old recently enjoyed a cold beer for the first time since he was released by Hamas.  Alexander, who was freed Monday after 584 days in captivity, shared his first Instagram story, with the Tenafly resident flashing a smile and Corona bottle in hand, surrounded by loved ones on the hospital rooftop. “Home Sweet Home,” the caption read.