Many Jewish Americans in the New York City area stayed up all night to watch the emotional release of hostages on live television after Israel and Hamas agreed to a peace plan. 

At the Upper West Side JCC, New Yorkers cheered and watched a montage of some of the reunions between the 20 hostages released from Hamas captivity and their families Monday. 

"It's hard to even put into words how joyous these videos are"  

The Hostage and Missing Families forum said these moments came, in part, from two years of marches in Central Park and across the city. 

"They didn't stop demonstrating and shouting and screaming and crying, and demanding that the world pay attention," Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said.

On Broadway near 76th Street, posters of the hostages now display the handwritten word "home," but soon they may be taken down. 

"I stayed up until 4 a.m. I saw that the hostages were moved from Hamas captivity to the Red Cross ... and I woke up at 6 a.m., 7 a.m. to just see the reunions with the families," Nim Shapira, director and producer of "TORN: The Israel - Palestine Poster War on New York City Streets," said.

Shapira, an Israeli American living in Brooklyn, has come to know the posters and several hostage families through his documentary "TORN," which officially qualified for Oscar consideration. 

"These 24 hours are the first time that so many of Jews around the world, Israelis and allies, have been able to breathe and put on a smile," Shapira said. 

"It's hard to even put into words how joyous these videos are," Josh Kramer, director of American Jewish Committee New York, said. 

"The only way forward is coexistence" 

It's a mix of emotions. While many are celebrating, there are also people thinking of those whose loved ones' bodies have not yet been returned. 

"We have to keep in mind there are still 28 hostages' remains that are held in Gaza. We expect four to be released soon," Kramer said. 

The family of Long Island-native Omer Neutra flew to Israel to meet with White House officials, holding onto hope their son's body would be returned. 

"This will not erase or ease the pain for the families of the thousands of Israelis who lost their lives from Oct. 7, 2023 up until now. It will not ease or erase the pain for the grieving families of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who lost their lives," Shapira said. "The only way forward is coexistence." 

"I'm happy and I'm sad"

Mark Schneider, of Kingston, New York, is the uncle of Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, with her two little boys, Ariel and Kfir, and later murdered by Hamas. 

"I'm happy and I'm sad, and it's so difficult. I've never been in this situation," Schneider said. 

Rami Evan-Esh, of Bushwick, extended his stay in Israel, missing the Chicago Marathon, to be with families in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. 

"In Israel, you're seeing the hostage names at a McDonald's. You're seeing them everywhere you go," Evan-Esh said. "To see them fly above your head, knowing that they're right there, it's insane to experience that." 

From New York to Israel, Jews say it was one of the first events that felt joyous in the last two years, but they have not forgotten those who made the ultimate sacrifice.