Chicago-area residents reflect on Oct. 7 attack on Israel, one year later

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Oct. 7, 2023: About 1,200 people were killed in an attack on Israel led by Hamas, with many more injured and over 250 people taken hostage by Hamas. One year later, around 100 hostages remain.

“Carmi Got, taken on Oct. 7,” said Rabbi Michael Schwab. “She was a therapist.”

In Highland Park, at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Rabbi Michael Schwab showed WBBM an empty yellow chair that’s been placed in front of the sanctuary. He said it’s a symbol of those still held in captivity.

Every week, the congregation focuses on one hostage kept from their home, and the rabbi shared with WBBM the story of Carmel Got.

“Her mother was shot and killed right away on Oct. 7,” he said. “Her father was able to hide and survived.”

Got, who was in her 20s, was held in captivity for 11 months. She was set to be released but was among those killed alongside Hersh Goldberg-Polin more than a month ago.

“While she was in captivity, she taught the other captives yoga and meditation to help them cope and survive while they were light-deprived, food-deprived,” Schwab said.

About 100 hostages remain under Hamas control, and only about half are still believed to be alive. Schwab said sharing individual stories serves as a reminder that “it’s not just a number.”

“These are real people with real lives, and many of them were just beautiful, beautiful people,” he said.

The Israeli response to the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, meanwhile, has prompted dozens of demonstrations in the Chicago area. Over the weekend, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) organized its 53rd mass demonstration in downtown Chicago, where attendees called for an end to both the war and U.S. military funding to Israel.

USPCN National Chair Hatem Abudayyeh told WBBM he felt the need to escalate their efforts as U.S. aid to Israel continues.

“That means challenging our congresspeople and our senators, bird-dogging them, going wherever they go — the Dick Durbins and the Tammy Duckworths of the world in Chicago and Illinois — and stop this thing by any means necessary,” he said.

With a Palestinian death toll rising well over 40,000 and Israel carrying out strikes in Syria, Yemen and now Lebanon, Abudayyeh said he believes the Palestinian people are winning the war, when it comes to the hearts and minds of the world.

“There is this concept in international law that says, ‘Everybody has the right to freedom and liberty and self-determination,’ and everybody recognizes that the Palestinians are not free, that they don’t have liberty and they don’t have self-determination,” he said.

Schwab said he agrees with an end to the killing but not the dismantling of Israel — and added that an end to the war would come much faster if the hostages were returned by Hamas.

Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok