Ran Gvili’s friends represent his family at final Hostages Square Kabbalat Shabbat service

Ayelet Sela Youngerman, a representative of the Kibbutz Movement that has organized the Kabbalat Shabbat services at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, opens the last such service by saying that today, the feeling in the square is different following the return of the final slain hostage, Ran Gvili, this week.

“For several weeks I’ve stood here and started the Kabbalat Shabbat with the obligatory sentence, ‘Until the last hostage is not just a slogan,'” she says. “Now in the square, in your merit, today we can say we kept our promise: Rani is back and there are no more hostages.”

Gvili’s family is not at the service as they are observing the seven-day Shiva mourning period for him. Three of his friends, who do not state their full names, are representing the family at the service, and thank the hundreds who have gathered, on behalf of the family.

“You let them feel that Rani is really everyone’s son,” one of the friends says.

“This is a time of gathering, a time of mourning, a time of remembrance, to part from the brother, the son, the friend,” he says.”In the name of the family and friends, we want to say thank you to everyone who didn’t give up, who came when it was difficult to come, who reminded us again and again that we don’t leave anyone behind.”

After he speaks, the crowd begins singing songs, including “Shalom Aleichem,” a traditional song sung on Friday nights to welcome Shabbat. In keeping with the somewhat contradictory mood in the square, the song begins slowly and softly, then switches to an upbeat tempo.