It was January 26, 2026. My husband came home from work, walked up to me and gently removed the yellow ribbon pin that I had been wearing since Hamas took hostages into Gaza on October 7, 2023.

My eyes swelled, tears rolled down my checks. I knew what his gesture meant: The body of remaining hostage Ran Gvili had been found. Dressed in his police uniform, he had been buried in a Gaza cemetery. He would now be returned to his family in Israel for proper burial.

I had been wearing that yellow ribbon pin, along with a dog tag that read, “Bring Them Home Now” since shortly after the Hamas invasion – symbols that the Jewish community distributed here and in Israel to bring attention to the hostages’ plight.

My husband then said, “You can also remove the yellow polish from your nails now.”

In March 2024, my women’s volunteer organization, Hadassah, started a Yellow Nail Campaign as a call to action to #EndTheSilence about the sexual violence committed by Hamas during the October 7 massacre and while the victims were captive in Gaza.

“On October 7, women were raped, sometimes so violently that their legs and pelvic bones were broken,” says one woman in a short selfie video shared with her social media networks. “Women were shot in their vaginas and breasts,” says another. “Girls were found dead, stripped naked, genitals mutilated and covered with blood and semen,” says another.

Together, these videos — along with video testimonials by those who found women’s bodies — helped make the brutality and violence of Hamas’ actions palpable, encouraging more people to join the campaign and sign the petition to end the silence.

The #EndTheSilence global social media campaign, as of March 12, 2024, garnered more than 1.7 million impressions and nearly 400,000 engagements.

Sexual violence is not a legitimate act of war. Yet there was no formal condemnation of Hamas by the UN. Hadassah’s #EndTheSilence campaign brought women of the world together. They organized events to raise awareness, signed petitions to hold Hamas accountable, contacted their politicians and sent pleas to the UN to act. They  protested in New York and at the UN’s 68th meetings of its Commission on the Status of Women.

Of course, I joined the campaign! Not only did I have my nails –on both my hands and feet — polished yellow, but I also signed petitions, sent emails, protested and contacted our state and federal congressmen and senators to raise their awareness.

Little did I suspect that this crisis would continue for almost two years! Still, in spite of the fact that, for me, yellow is actually a color that jars my nerves, I made a commitment to continue wearing yellow nails until all the hostages were brought home.

As time dragged on and the hostages were still not released, I looked for variety: bright yellow, pale yellow, French nails with yellow tips, yellow designs and different colors and/or designs on each nail.

My yellow nails had very unexpected consequences. Unbeknownst to me, people really do pay attention to nails and nail designs. My nails continually engendered comments: ”I like your nails” or “What interesting nail designs!”

As I responded, “Thank you,” I realized that I had an opportunity. So I began adding, “They actually have a special meaning.” If I sensed that they were still engaged, I continued with, “Would you like to know about it?”

From the desk clerks at my medical appointments — and even the doctors and nurses — to passersby, grocery shoppers, neighbors and women at the nail and hair salons, people responded “Yes!”

Surprisingly, many knew nothing about Israel, even though it’s constantly in the news. Here was my opportunity to explain the hostages’ plight and Hadassah’s campaign.

The yellow ribbon and the hostage tag, in contrast, brought recognition and conversation from fellow Jews, but no questions from the public. Yet, by wearing my yellow nails, I became a vocal, outspoken Israel advocate, a voice for the #EndTheSilence campaign — an interpreter and educator.

With the release of the last 20 living hostages on October 13, 2025, I, too, celebrated. But there were still 28 hostage bodies remaining in Gaza. My Israeli niece said, “Don’t remove your yellow ribbon yet. Not until all are brought home.”

But, what about my nails? I wanted to celebrate the hostages’ release, but I wanted also to continue to advocate for the return of the remaining bodies. So, I allowed my beloved purple to be incorporated into my yellow nail designs. This created a new conversation with my nail observers, the ones who were following my nails, as well as with new people — both men and women.

January 26, 2026: All the hostages, both living and dead, were returned. It was time for me to return to my usual nail colors. With mixed emotions, I had my nails polished my favorite purple. But our saga is not over. Hamas still wants to destroy Israel; no comprehensive peace has been negotiated.

So, what should be my visible symbol now to advocate and educate on behalf of Israel and peace? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Beverly is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all.  Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 800 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested in writing? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.

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