Mourners pray for peace, release of remaining hostages one year after Oct. 7

Shahar Gabay is still haunted by what he saw at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel.

He thinks about the choices he made as the rockets started flying and gunfire rang out when Hamas militants attacked the festival on Oct. 7, 2023. He ponders how close he came to being one of the 250 hostages captured, or among the 1,200 who were killed.

A year later, as the ensuing war in Gaza continues, Gabay said he hopes people understand that Israel needs to be able to keep itself safe and do everything in its power to free the remaining 101 hostages.

“Everyone needs to understand that Israel needs to defend itself because if not, we can lose everything,” said Gabay, who lives in Israel. “Israel should keep defending itself and do everything in its power to get all the hostages back, and until they are home there is nothing to talk about.”

On Monday, Gabay, joined 1,200 people at a memorial in the northern suburbs organized by the Jewish United Fund honoring the victims of Oct. 7 and in support of Israel. It was one of many such events held Monday to mark one year since the attack. The north suburban event honored the memory of those killed that day, but other gatherings were held in honor of all lives lost in the ongoing conflict and called on Israel to end its military action.

In Lincoln Park, dozens gathered at a candlelight vigil at AIDS Garden Chicago in honor of the Israeli and Palestinian people killed since Oct. 7. The vigil was organized by If Not Now, a group of Jewish Americans opposed to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Alex Nelson, a political co-lead for the If Not Now Movement, said that in the last year she’s been able to create community with other people of the Jewish faith in Chicago who believe the attacks in Gaza need to end.

“I think there are a lot of us that share a world view that centers on liberation and understand that Jewish safety and Palestinian liberation are permanently bound,” Nelson said.

Keith Zelinske, a member of the If Not Now Movement, which organized the vigil, said it was important to remember the innocent people who have lost their lives in Gaza over the last year as well.

“We have to dedicate ourselves to a more just world because we have a moral responsibility because it’s being done in our name,” he said.

Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. The ministry says more than half of those killed were women and children.

In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which holds much of the power in parts of southern Lebanon, targeting suspected militants with exploding pagers, airstrikes and, eventually, incursions into Lebanon.

At Monday's memorial in the northern suburbs, many speakers noted that Hezbollah began its rocket attacks on Israel the day after the Oct. 7 attacks. Organizers asked that the location not be disclosed for security reasons.

Other speakers, including Abby and Leah Polin, the aunt and grandmother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed after being held by Hamas for nearly a year, called for the release of the remaining hostages.

“Even though we are still coming off of mourning for Hersh, we feel very strongly, along with the whole family, and hopefully the majority of the world, that we have to do everything we can to get the remaining hostages out as soon as possible,” Abby Polin said ahead of the event.

During the memorial, 101 attendees stood up, each holding a photograph of the hostages who are still being held. Several in the audience wore Israeli flags over their shoulders. Many wore a yellow ribbon, a symbol of solidarity with Israeli hostages and their families.

Carol Frank, who lives in Lincoln Park, said she felt it was important to show up at the north suburban memorial in person to express support for the Jewish community.

“It’s important for the community to come together and to support one another,” Frank said. “People in the diaspora really need to connect, because in Israel there is sort of a built-in community, and we're much more diffuse across the United States, so I think it's very important for Jews to come together in Chicago and support one another and talk about what happened and have an opportunity to process it.”

As the fighting in the region shows no signs of abating, Frank said she hopes that peace prevails and the remaining hostages are freed.

“I hope that there will be peace at some point, that’s the main thing that we are hoping for, and I'm hoping there’s some way to bring the hostages home,” she said.

Contributing: AP