Nearly 600 Days Since the October 7th Massacre: How to Advocate For the Hostages Wherever You Are

By: Sophia Johnette

The Israel-Hamas war has been on the forefront of our minds since October 7th, 2023 when Hamas attacked Israeli citizens, becoming the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. As a college student, I see people taking different “sides” of the war. No matter which “side” you’re on, we should all be unified in the condemnation of the terrorist attack on October 7th. Here’s some ways to advocate for the hostages still  held by Hamas.

Donations

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has a donation running on their website. All the money you donate goes to efforts to bring all the hostages back home.

JAFI Fund for Victims of Terror is an organization that gives financial assistance to the victims and their families, as well as providing them with long-term support. Along with donations, this organization also provides ways to get involved at home.

OneFamily — Overcoming Terror Together is an organization that supports the victims and their families so that they can have financial and emotional independence, as well as finding their way back into society. They take donations and they also have volunteer opportunities.

Social Media Advocacy

I know what you’re thinking:

“I only have 500 followers…who’s going to listen?”

“What change can an Instagram post make?”

“I’m not a celebrity…nobody is going to see this so why bother?”

These are all thoughts I’ve had as well, and thoughts that have been expressed to me since I’ve started posting about the hostages. But here’s the thing: you sharing what’s going on could start the domino effect. If you share something and it opens someone else’s eyes, they might share and it will repeat the process. In my opinion, I’d rather be loud and have nobody listen than to be silent about what matters to me; it’s better to have tried than to never have tried at all.

The most important thing with social media advocacy is that you need to fact check before you post things, especially when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war. I’ve written an article on how to decide if a news source is biased or not, and I think this will be extremely helpful if you want to take the advocacy route.

Shop for Good

Sometimes we don’t have the financial means to donate, but when we have something we need to buy, we can try to buy from companies that are fond of advocacy and support. Check out the links down below!

’Bring Them Home’ Dog Tag Necklace

*proceeds support Israeli victims of war 

‘Bring Them Home’ Ribbon Necklace as worn by Israeli actress and model Noa Cohen. Please note that the link I’ve added is not to the exact one she has in those photos.*it is made in Israel, and it is supportive symbolism, not a donation

Do you need some more beauty products? Food products? Search no further than Israel Cart, an online shop for all your needs. Israel Cart has amazing, high-quality products from Israel. While this is not a donation to the hostages, buying from them supports the Israeli people.

I’ve been using Israeli skincare for almost a year now and it has changed my skin so much. I will genuinely never go back to what I used before. One of my favourites is this Essential Day Cream from Blue Clay. I will be honest, it is quite expensive, but I swear that it is worth every cent. Every time I put it on, I smile. I kid you not.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also has an online shop, full of pins, solidarity tags, bracelets, clothing, bags, and more.

Most Importantly…

Listen to and share the stories of hostages! I cannot express how important this is. We must not let ourselves forget what has happened and is currently happening to innocent people. Take the time today and listen to one of the survivor’s stories.

And, of course, if you pray, don’t forget to pray for the hostages still left behind. Every life matters. We must all do what we can to bring them all home. Don’t forget their names. Don’t forget their stories. Don’t forget them.