Edan Alexander, freed from Hamas captivity after 584 days, feted on return home to New Jersey
It was the second time that residents of Tenafly, which has a large Israeli community, gathered to celebrate Alexander’s freedom
Edan Alexander, an American taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, returned his hometown in Tenafly, New Jersey, on June 19, 2025. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(JTA) — Hundreds of people lined the streets of Tenafly, New Jersey, on Thursday to welcome home native son Edan Alexander, who survived 584 days of captivity in Gaza before being freed in May.
Alexander graduated from Tenafly High School before enlisting in the Israeli army and was serving on a base on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and took him and 250 others hostage. The last remaining living American citizen in captivity, he was freed in a one-off deal negotiated by the Trump administration on May 12.
That day, schools in Tenafly excused students from classes as thousands of people gathered in the New York City’s suburb’s main square to cheer on Alexander’s release in real time. On Thursday, locals repeated the celebration as Alexander returned to the town where his Israeli parents and siblings still live. Tenafly is home to a substantial Israeli expat community.
Hundreds of people waving Israeli and American flags cheered along the route taken by Alexander’s black SUV. Some held a banner that thanked President Donald Trump. A large billboard that had called attention to his captivity was updated to read “Welcome home Edan,” and local police officers saluted the motorcade. Alexander, wearing black sunglasses, beamed and at times greeted people he passed.
On his Instagram account, Alexander posted a picture of himself in the car, his arm outstretched, accompanied by the Kanye West song “Homecoming.”
There remain 53 hostages in Gaza, of whom 20 are thought to remain alive. Their plight, a central cause for Jews around the world since the Oct. 7 attack, has drawn less attention over the last week since Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear program, triggering a wave of ballistic missile attacks on Israel.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
