Nearly 600 days after he was abducted by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, Edan Alexander returned home to New Jersey on Thursday to a deeply emotional homecoming. Hundreds of residents lined the rain-soaked streets of his hometown of Tenafly, waving American and Israeli flags and holding handmade signs, eager to welcome him back.

Alexander, 21, was seen smiling and waving from the passenger seat of a black SUV as it slowly rolled through the 50,000-resident town, flanked by a police motorcade and cheering supporters.

This undated photo released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum shows Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, who was abducted and brought to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.  (Hostages and Missing Families Forum via AP)

“Our community has been praying for him—585 days,” said Rabbi Mordechai Shain, the family’s longtime rabbi. There was a march every week for him to come home. It was like we lived it.”

“As a person and a family, he just wants to go back to life and move on,” said the rabbi. “This is a process. It’s going to take time to heal because we don’t even know how much torture he went through. He hasn’t told us.”

During his time in captivity, Tenafly’s Jewish community held weekly prayers, marches, and even celebrated Edan’s birthday in his absence. “Over 800 people came to his Hanukkah birthday celebration,” said the Rabbi. “We wanted him to know we hadn’t forgotten.”

Alexander is expected to remain in New Jersey for now as he focuses on his recovery. He reportedly weighed just 121 pounds upon his release and suffered hand injuries.