Some inspo to warm you up this winter

Glencoe native Danny Wolf during the men’s Big Ten tournament, March 16, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Photo credit: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

To brighten and warm you up during these darkest and coldest days of the year, here are my top five Jewish stories from the last year—stories of hope, resilience, joy, and love. May we all continue to be inspired in 2026! 

Coming home 

Of course, the most momentous and bittersweet story for the Jewish people was the remaining 20 living hostages finally coming home after more than two years in Hamas captivity. We recall the images of hostages joyfully reuniting with their families: images like that of Tal Kuperstein embracing his son Bar, marking the first time Tal has stood up from his wheelchair since being paralyzed before the war. 

Last year, we also learned about the wedding engagements of six former hostages: Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen; Eliya Cohen and Ziv Abud; and Matan Zangauker and Ilana Gritzwesky. 

And, in December, former IDF combat soldier Shahar Gabay—who survived the Nova Music Festival massacre and shared his story at JUF’s October 7 memorial event—married Adele, his college sweetheart, witnessed by two JUF staff he befriended. 

Every love story is sweet to watch, but the joy that these beautiful couples have found in creating new families after enduring the unimaginable is extra-special to observe and revel in. 

Tempering our joy, we pray for all those who were murdered during this agonizing war, including 24-year-old Ran Gvili, who was killed on October 7, and whose family still awaits the return of his body. May the memory of Ran and every other precious soul lost in this war be a blessing. 

Hoop dreams 

The Brooklyn Nets selected Israeli point guard Ben Saraf and Israeli-American forward Danny Wolf, a Glencoe native, back-to-back with the 26th and 27th overall picks in this year’s NBA draft. This marked the first time in nearly 20 years that two Jewish players were chosen in the same NBA draft. Both players wear their Judaism with pride: Saraf, the son of two former Israeli pro basketball players, wears the no. 77 on his jersey because the number represents the Hebrew numerical value for the word mazal (luck).  

And Wolf—the 7-footer who has the support of oodles of hometown Chicago fans—attended Solomon Schechter Jewish Day School until the fifth grade, keeps kosher, and had his bar mitzvah at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. As Wolf’s name was called in the draft, his big brother Jake broke into happy tears, kvelling at his brother’s dream to play in the NBA. 

Shema Yisrael  

In a gripping scene of the hit hospital drama The Pitt, we see Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch curled up in the fetal position in blood-soaked scrubs, on the floor of a pediatric room. He is overwhelmed with sorrow, after an avalanche of critically wounded patients arrive from a mass shooting at a music festival.  

In the scene, Robby—played by Jewish actor Noah Wyle—tearfully clutches his golden Magen David from under his smock while gasping the Shema prayer, Judaism’s central declaration of faith.  

This TV moment is heart-wrenching, but especially poignant for any Jewish viewer who has ever sought comfort in Jewish ritual or prayer when grief is too much to bear. 

The Big-gest Shabbat 

A whopping 2,761 people joined “The Big Shabbat” on a Friday night in November, making it the largest Shabbat dinner in history. The event—held at Manhattan’s Javits Convention Center—was an official attempt to host the largest-ever Shabbat dinner, as verified by Guinness World Records. The celebration shattered the previous record of 2,322, set in 2014 in Berlin.  

Your generosity 

Every year, our community faces significant challenges, and every year, you—our readers—do something about it. Once again, in 2025, you inspired us through your boundless generosity, lifting up the Jewish community and beyond in Chicago, in Israel, and around the world. In this issue, we’ll introduce you to just some of the lives you’ve touched this past year. For all you did—and for all you do—we thank you. Warmly.