Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) announced two new, bipartisan pieces of legislation on Oct. 7 on Edan Alexander Way, the Tenafly, N.J., street named for the last living American hostage liberated from Hamas captivity.
One would hold up U.S. aid to the United Nations until the global body designates Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations, as Washington has long done.
The other bill commemorates the third anniversary of Oct. 7, condemning the attacks, honoring hostages and their families, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and calling for the Gaza framework that provides aid while disarming Hamas.
“We remember,” Gottheimer said at the ceremony.
“We honor those we lost. We thank the heroes, and we recommit ourselves to the work ahead,” the Jewish congressman said. “We speak the truth about Oct. 7. We stand up to hate, wherever it rears its ugly head.”
“And we never stop fighting for a day when Hamas has laid down its arms for good, and Israelis and Palestinians alike can live together in peace,” he said.
Edan Alexander’s parents, Adi Alexander and Yael Alexander, attended the event, as did local officials, rabbis and communal leaders.
“We are here today to remember, to honor and to never forget,” Yael Alexander told attendees.
Her son was freed in May 2025 after 584 days in captivity in Gaza.
“Standing here now, I can hug my son,” she said. “I can hear his voice. I can sit next to him, and for that, I will be grateful every single day.”
“But I know not every family got to have that moment,” she told attendees. “So today, we remember those who were killed, we remember the hostages, and we remember all the families who are still living with this pain.”
