‘The least I can do is remember them’: Suburban residents march to call for release of Oct. 7 hostages
A group of Northwest suburban residents has been taking 18-minute walks for more than a year.
The time is significant. Eighteen is associated with “chai,” the Hebrew word for life. And there is a purpose to the walk: to call attention to the plight of the hostages remaining in Gaza.
Another number figures prominently on their walks — one that grows every week. With masking tape, they note on their shirts the number of days the hostages have been in captivity — more than 600 and counting.
The group is part of a grass-roots movement that began in California shortly after the Hamas massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Groups across the globe have been gathering weekly for symbolic 18-minute runs and walks to maintain awareness of the hostages.
The suburban group chooses different locations to walk. During their journey, they carry Israeli flags along with American flags and the flags of other countries from where the hostages come. They also carry pictures of the hostages and chant, “Run for their lives. Bring them home now.”
The local initiative started in April 2024.
Organizers say it is a way to express concern for the hostages and call attention to their plight without taking a political stand on the ongoing war in Gaza that has claimed thousands of lives.
“We want to bring attention,” Libertyville resident Al Friedlander said. “The hostages are being ignored in the media.”
The Run for Their Lives movement includes 196 active groups spanning the globe.
The Boulder, Colorado, group came under attack on June 1. Using a flamethrower, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, authorities said, threw incendiary devices into the crowd gathered for the event, yelling “Free Palestine.” One person died and several were injured.
Soliman, who faces first-degree murder and hate crime charges, told investigators he targeted the group and wanted to “kill all Zionist people,” authorities said.
Local organizers said the movement has grown since the attack. But participants take precautions, asking that specific locations and timing details not be widely publicized. The group’s national leadership has advised caution with Israeli flags, organizers said, though local participants voted to continue carrying them.
Still, during a recent walk, participants encountered vocal opposition. One passerby hurled an obscenity at the group, while another shouted, “Free Palestine.”
“I think that living in the USA, we’ve never felt this kind of antisemitism in our lives,” said Jamee Smith of Buffalo Grove, one of the walkers. “It’s a little unsettling, but we shouldn’t be shocked or surprised after what we see every day if we are paying attention to the world and to the news.”
However, organizers said they also get encouragement, including drivers honking in support.
Participants focus attention on what organizers describe as the continued tragic conditions faced by hostages and their families. By the most current count, 50 hostages are still in captivity, with 27 confirmed dead.
But attention largely has been drawn away by war in the Middle East, including the rising death toll in Gaza and harsh criticisms about Israel’s actions.
“We don’t take any stance on the war. We just want attention to be brought to the hostages,” Friedlander said. “Not everybody here agrees with what's going on, so we don't even talk politics or the war other than the hostages.”
The group has been in contact with groups in Israel supporting the families of the hostages.
“Every time I think about the hostages, my heart breaks again,” Buffalo Grove resident Wendy Frank said. “I feel like there's so little I can do. The least I can do is remember them.”
Organizers hope their efforts won't be needed much longer, that the hostages will be released. Until that happens, they continue to walk.
“I pray it's not needed by next week,” Friedlander said.