Chicago area Jewish Community Center remembers Israeli hostages with t-shirt display
In Chicago, people marked one year since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel in many different ways, but in the north suburbs, the Jewish Community Center has been keeping the hostages in their hearts all year long.
"When October 7 happened, as a community center open to everybody, we felt the need to say or do something," said Addie Goodman.
Workers at the Jewish Community Center in Northbrook hung up t-shirts, one for each person who was taken hostage on Oct. 7.
"We chose t-shirts because that really represents a person," said Goodman, the president and CEO of the community center.
She said the t-shirts were left over from a concert just weeks before called "Growing Hope."
"That was an evening that really celebrated difference and community, kindness, tolerance, acceptance," Goodman said.
When the t-shirts were first hung, Goodman didn't know how long they would be up. Now, the JCC has had to update the exhibit in ways both happy and sad.
"As you can see, the orange tags fill our hearts. [They mean] somebody was brought home, and unfortunately, as you move down through the exhibit you will come across black name tags," Goodman said.
Goodman pointed to the black nametag with the name Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the 23-year-old Israeli American with ties to the Chicago area who was one of the hostages killed weeks ago.
She added the shirts will remain up until the hostages are home.
"These t-shirts, that are all about hope, is really what we hope for our world, and certainly we are holding out hope for the hostages," Goodman.
The t-shirts have been moved to keep them clean. Since the exhibit has been up for a year and counting, Goodman said they may have to clean the shirts to keep them respectful.
