Editor's Note: This event will no longer be streamed live. Video from the event will be added afterwards.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to speak along with other Illinois and Jewish leaders at an Israel Solidarity Event in the Chicago suburbs Tuesday.
The community-wide event is open to the public and will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday at North Shore Congregation Israel, at 1185 Sheridan Rd. in Glencoe, a spokesperson with the Chicago Jewish United Fund said.
According to organizers, Pritzker is expected to speak at approximately 10:15 a.m. Other speakers include Rep. Brad Schneider, State Comptroller Susana Mendoza and JUF President Lonnie Nasatir.
Organizers expect attendance to be large, an email from the JUF said. "JUF security is taking all appropriate precautions and is working with local, county, state and other law enforcement agencies to ensure a safe program," the email added. "Security was one of the factors weighed in selection of the venue."
The event, one of many Israel Solidarity Gatherings taking place across the country this week, is in response to militant group Hamas' unprecedented weekend attack that has left more than 1,600 Israelis and Palestinians killed.
Without warning on Saturday, Gaza's Hamas rulers -- a group designated by many countries including the U.S., the UK and Canada as a terrorist organization attacked Israel by air, land and sea. Millions of Israelis in the country's south awoke to the searing sound of incoming rockets and the inevitable thud of impact. Air raid sirens wailed as far north as Tel Aviv. Israel's anti-rocket interceptors thundered in Jerusalem.
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And in an unprecedented escalation, armed Hamas fighters blew up parts of Israel's highly fortified separation fence and strode into Israeli communities along the Gaza frontier, terrorizing residents and trading fire with Israeli soldiers.
Tuesday, Israeli warplanes pounded downtown Gaza City, home to Hamas' centers of government, with relentless bombardments after Israel’s prime minister vowed retaliation against the Islamic militant group that would “reverberate for generations.”
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As Israel strikes back with missile attacks on targets in Gaza, families grapple with the knowledge that it could come at the cost of their loved ones' lives. Hamas has warned it will kill one of the 130 hostages every time Israel’s military bombs civilian targets in Gaza without warning.
Natalie Raanan, a 2023 graduate of Deerfield High School, was visiting family in Israel at the time of the weekend attacks, according to a letter sent to the school community by principal Dr. Kathryn Anderson. She is believed to be among those being held hostage by Hamas.
"It is with great sadness that I share we have received word that DHS alumna, Natalie Raanan (Class of 2023), who was visiting family in Israel, has been reported missing," the letter read in part. "Her family fears that she has been taken hostage by Hamas. We keep Natalie and her family in our hearts, along with all the innocent lives lost, wounded and impacted by the terrorist attack."
Rabbi Meir Hecht of Chabad in Evanston said Natalie's mother, Judith, is a "regular attendee" of the congregation. Judith is also reported missing and believed to be among those held hostage.
"She was really excited, telling us for weeks and weeks about this trip with her daughter Natalie," Hecht said. "She said it right near Gaza. That kibbutz we know was infiltrated by Hamas, pulling people out their doors, murdering viscously and torturing people."
