Vered Guttman is an activist and organizer fighting for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

A chef and food writer by profession, Vered was motivated by the tragedy of October 7 to devote her time and energy to helping hostage families and advocating for the release of their loved ones.

Much of Vered’s work has focused on liaising between the hostage families and the American Jewish community, including by organizing high-level security briefings for Jewish leaders and mobilizing the community to increase its pressure on all sides, including the Israeli government, to reach a hostage release deal.

Seeking to increase pressure on the Netanyahu government to sign a hostage deal, Vered recently organized a meeting with Israel’s ambassador to Washington, which resulted in willingness by the Israeli representative to discuss with Jewish leaders the need to move Netanyahu toward a deal.