The Glencoe Clergy Association hosted a Glencoe vigil and interfaith service on Nov. 5 to acknowledge the more than 235 civilians taken hostage during the Oct. 7 Hamas border conflict with Israel.
The service at Kalk Park in downtown Glencoe was meant to be held rain or shine on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The event was coordinated with Glencoe Public Safety and the Village of Glencoe. People gathered in front of Liza’s Gazebo in the park where clergy addressed the audience.
Glencoe resident and vigil attendee Arthur Goldner said “It’s a wonderful thing that we’re doing here in Glencoe.”
Andrew Berlin of Glencoe attended the event with spouse Courtney.
“There’s quite a bit of ignorance in the world,” Andrew Berlin said to Pioneer Press. “And unfortunately, there’s a generation of people who don’t get their news from newspapers anymore.
“They get it from TikTok and Instagram and that’s no way to be educated on the issues,” said Berlin, adding the hope is that people of all ages educate themselves.
Remarks and prayers were part of the approximate half-hour program. Names of each of the hostages were read aloud and several people in the audience were seen dabbing tears.
A minute of silence was observed. Posters of each of the hostages were distributed along with battery tea lights. People were encouraged to take the posters home with them, perhaps to pray over if they chose to.
Rev. Barbara Javore, deacon of North Shore United Methodist Church of Glencoe and president of the Glencoe Clergy Association, said the purpose of the vigil event was to raise the consciousness of what the hostages are facing.
“Our thought was, there is no way to really give people comfort, but we can give them solace and to know that we’re standing to understand the grief and the anguish of what happened on Oct. 7,” Javore said. “And it’s not to diminish anything that is going on with the warlike response or any of those things because we treasure all human life as clergy, we have to. But what we want to do is to allow, especially our Jewish congregations, to know that we’re standing and understand the rise of antisemitism which is frightening.”
Am Shalom of Glencoe Senior Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein, among clergy members presiding at the vigil, said to Pioneer Press, “There’s a lot of pain and sadness and let’s hope and pray that we can all work together.”
Before the recitation of names, to those present at the vigil, Lowenstein said that there are no easy answers.
As names were spoken, people would raise the poster of the hostage that matched the name read aloud.
Before the vigil began, Rev. Ken Crews, associate minister at Glencoe Union Church, said, “I think it’s incredibly important for us to gather as a community to support one another and to show the world that we can come together with different faith traditions, and just lead into love, and hope and peace together.”
Am Shalom of Glencoe has empty chairs in rows placed on its corner lawn to acknowledge the hostages. Photos and descriptions of hostages are visible on the chairs.
Rev. Crews agreed that the formation of chairs in front of Am Shalom is stunning to take in.
“It absolutely is,” Crews said, noting, “some of the chairs now have teddy bears and things on them to bring to our attention that it’s not just this grouping of mature adults who’ve lived some kind of life, this is people of all ages being impacted.”
Rabbi Lowenstein confirmed that the chairs of hostages at Am Shalom have been installed outdoors for a few weeks.
“We just felt that we need to represent these 240 people in a substantive way,” Lowenstein said. “Each one tells an amazing story and their pictures are on every chair and there’s a stuffed animal on every chair and people find great comfort coming to that corner.”
Rev. Esther Lee, senior pastor at North Shore United Methodist Church said before the vigil, “As an American, as immigrant, as a minority, I think it’s important to stand up for those who are being oppressed, those who are being hurt in the community, to show solidarity and just know that we’re not alone in these hard times, that we’re together.”
Also speaking before the vigil, Rev. Celona Hayes of Glencoe’s St. Paul AME Church, said, “It’s definitely important for us to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and with our brothers and sisters in faith and also to pray for the safe return of the 238 kidnapped individuals from Hamas.”
Of the vigil, “This is a display of unity and love and a hope for justice,” Hayes said. “This is encouraging to me.”
Karie Angell Luc is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
