CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) --A group of Jewish Chicagoans gathered at the AIDS Garden in Lakeview to hold a prayer vigil for the thousands of lives lost in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Dozens of Jewish community members recited the mourner’s kaddish, a Jewish prayer typically recited during the mourning period after the death of a loved one, to grieve for the Palestinians and Israelis killed over the last few days.
“We are gathered in grief, in mourning and in rage. To mourn all the lives lost, to mourn the Israeli lives lost over the weekend as well as the Palestinian lives lost,” said Ben Lorber, a member of If Not Now.
If Not Now is a national organization of Jewish Americans organizing for equality, justice, and a thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis.
“Our heart breaks all around for both, and we also know at the end of the day to end the cycle of bloodshed we have to look at the root causes,” Lorber said.
The war, which has claimed at least 2,700 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. Lorber said tensions are very raw and high; it’s been an extremely hard time for his community.
“We said some prayers of mourning and we gathered together to feel our collective sorrow through ritual and through commitment to action,” he added.
The group was joined by Representative Abdelnasser Rashid and other community leaders.
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